Dirck van Baburen

Title Prometheus Being Chained by Vulcan, Year 1623

On the floor in a smithy lies Prometheus.
The gods' smith, Vulcan, is fastening handcuffs on him.
Filled with pity, the messenger of the gods, Mercury watches this happening.
Van Baburen has presented this story from Greek mythology in all its
dramatic power and significance.
Prometheus, his face creased in anguish, churns the air with his arms.
The treatment of light and the life size figures reflect the influence
of the Italian painter Caravaggio.