How to Read Paintings: Danaë by Orazio Gentileschi
How this painting treads a fine line between eroticism and chastity
Works of art sometimes have an extraordinary ability to be many things at once. This painting, of the mythological figure Danaë, is replete with sensual allusions whilst at the same time representing the virtues of chastity. In this apparent contradiction, several fascinating aspects arise.
The story of Danaë began with a prophecy. As told by Apollodorus (c. 1st century B.C.) and later by Ovid in his Metamorphosis, Danaë was the daughter of Acrisius, the king of Argos. It was foretold that the king would be killed by his daughter’s child. In order to thwart the prophecy, the king locked Danaë in a chamber or sometimes a bronze tower to keep her away from any potential suitors. Her imprisonment, however, was not enough to dissuade the attentions of Zeus, king of the gods. Amorous to a fault, Zeus adopted the form of a shower of gold and swept through the skylight to visit her, at which Danaë conceived a child. The child Perseus was born, who would go on to fulfil the prophecy by accidentally killing his aging grandfather with a discus whilst taking part in athletic games.
