Peter Paul Rubens (Siegen, Westphalia, 1577 – Antwerp, 1640), one of the most important names in baroque painting, here offers a rendering of the myth of Andromeda and Perseus.
The naked full-length figure of Andromeda represents the Rubensian model of voluptuous feminine beauty. The artist took his second wife Hélène Fourment as his model. The background shows Perseus on his winged horse Pegasus about to rescue Andromeda from the dragon’s jaws.
The Christian equivalent of this pagan fable is the story of St George, in which the knight also slays the dragon to free the princess.