Prometheus
Artist
Giovanni Battista Langetti
(Italian, 1625 - 1676)
CultureItalian
Date1650-1676
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsOverall: 66 3/4 x 74 in. (169.5 x 188 cm)
Overall, Frame: 73 3/4 x 81 in. (187.3 x 205.7 cm)
Overall, Frame: 73 3/4 x 81 in. (187.3 x 205.7 cm)
Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number71.548
Collections
On View
Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 205
Label TextGiovanni Battista Langetti Italian, 1625-1676 Prometheus, 1600s Oil on canvas Imagine the pain Prometheus is about to endure as he inches away from the eagle at his left! According to Greek mythology, the immortal Prometheus committed the crime of stealing fire from the gods and giving it to mankind. As punishment for the deed, the Gods of Mount Olympus chained him to the side of a mountain. Tethered, he is unable to escape from the eagle sent to peck out his liver, which grows back daily. The Museum's National Endowment for the Humanities Paintings Conservation Fellow recently restored the painting by Italian artist Giovanni Battista Langetti, returning it to the galleries after 40 years behind the scenes. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.548ProvenanceAcquired by Walter Chrysler in 1968 from Central Picture Galleries in New YorkExhibition HistoryOn view in the galleries in 1978 with other "treasures from storage"
