5. from the eagle symbol of divine punishment in Rubens' Prometheus Bound to the eagle of freedom, of grandiose nature in Carus' Fantasy of the Alps
through
to the eagle symbolic bird of John the Evangelist in Raphael's Vision of Ezekiel and eagle symbolizing air in West's allegory Omnia Vincit Amor
6. Eagle in Greek and Roman mythology
is the bird associated with Zeus Jupiter, the king of the gods, symbolizing his power and authority
is attributed to bringing Ganymede to Mount Olympus to serve as cupbearer to the gods
and
plays a crucial role in the punishment of the Titan Prometheus
7. Zeus, in the guise of an eagle
Ganymede seemingly accepting or enjoying the experience, smiling and holding the eagle's wings
and
looking up in surprise a dog
Antonio da Correggio Le Corrège
The Abduction of Ganymede
L'Enlèvement de Ganymède
El rapto de Ganimedes
1520-1540
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
10. a fair curly-haired boy and an eagle with out-stretched wings …
the contrast between the strength of the eagle and the fragility of Ganymede
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn
The Rape of Ganymede
Le Rapt de Ganymède
El rapto de Ganímedes
1635
Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Dresden
12. The eagle, with its imposing presence, symbolizes Jupiter's power and his desire for Ganymede.
Peter Paul Rubens surprises by using this story with profane humor:
the position of Ganymede and that of the quiver full of his arrows leaves no one indifferent!
So it seems that the painting was not intended to be seen by a mixed and educated public.
…
... it should be remembered that Ganymede aroused the jealousy of Juno (or Hera to the Greeks),
and Jupiter was immediately ordered to return the young man to his earthly condition.
There's no way I'm keeping him in Olympus! Oh no, this!
So Jupiter hesitated between throwing him into a dark, earthly place,
or .... but yes, it's much better that way! place it definitively in the sky of constellations!
Peter Paul Rubens
The Rape of Ganymede
Le Viol de Ganymède
El rapto de Ganimedes
1636-1638
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid
15. Eagle as a symbol of divine punishment …
The eagle is Zeus' instrument to punish Prometheus
for defying the gods and giving fire to humans.
It also symbolizes the power and brutality
with which the gods exercise their dominion over mortals.
Peter Paul Rubens
Prometheus Bound
Prométhée enchaîné
Prometeo encadenado
1611-18
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
18. Zeus metamorphosed himself into a bull to abduct Europa.
The eagle, Zeus's animal, is perched in the clouds,
emphasizing the presence and divine power of the king of the gods.
François Boucher
L'Enlèvement d'Europe
The Rape of Europa
El rapto de Europa
1747
Musée du Louvre, Paris
22. One of Jupiter's many adventures.
Jupiter, transformed into a satyr, seduces Antiope, a nymph, while she sleeps.
The eagle in the scene emphasizes the divine presence and deception.
Anthony van Dyck
Jupiter and Antiope
Jupiter et Antiope
Júpiter y Antiope
1620
Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Ghent
25. Jupiter seated "in Majesty" with the hapless and bloodied Semele,
his gaze is severe, wide-eyed and fixed straight ahead in fierce prepossession
and …
at the foot of the god's throne, an eagle spreads its wings
Gustave Moreau
Jupiter et Sémélé
Jupiter and Semele
Júpiter y Semele
1894–1895
Musée National Gustave-Moreau, Paris
28. Thetis, pleading with Jupiter to intervene in the Trojan War on behalf of her son, Achilles.
The dark, almost hidden eagle, gazing at Jupiter, who is seated on a throne.
In “Jupiter and Thetis”, the eagle symbolizes Jupiter's dominion and power over gods and mortals.
Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres
Jupiter et Thétis
Jupiter and Thetis
Júpiter y Tetis
1811
Musée Granet, Aix-en-Provence
31. a accomplice, an eagle, lurking above the pink satin curtain ..
two young women, one completely naked,
a trio of winged cupids,
eagle, clutching tiny thunderbolts in its talons
Only the fierce glare of the eagle and the ominous hovering of the mischievous cupids,
fingering their darts, hint at the coming assault …
François Boucher
Jupiter in the Guise of Diana, and the Nymph Callisto
La Nymphe Callisto, séduite par Jupiter sous les traits de Diane
La ninfa Calisto, seducida por Júpiter bajo la forma de Diana
1759
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City
35. Olympia is seduced by Jupiter
and
the eagle blinding Philip II of Macedon, Olympias' husband
The eagle, in this context, is not just a symbol of Zeus
but also an instrument of his power:
Philip is punished for witnessing the divine act.
Giulio Romano
Zeus seducing Olympias
Zeus séduit Olympias
Júpiter seduce a Olimpia
1526-1528
Sala di Psiche, Palazzo del Tè, Mantua
38. Jupiter in the form of golden rain
a baroque bed
a bored woman
an old maid with a tray
gold coins
Jupiter, a wrinkled old man arrives on a cloud
and …
the small dog barking at the eagle, the symbol of Jupiter
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
Danae and Jupiter
Jupiter et Danae
Júpiter y Dánae
1736
Universitet Konsthistoriska Institutionen, Stockholm
41. Eagle in Christian art
is associated with Saint John the Evangelist.
This connection stems from the eagle's soaring flight and ability to look directly at the sun,
mirroring the theological depth and spiritual heights explored in John's Gospel.
42. The painting is based on Ezekiel's vision described in the Book of the Prophet,
where God appears to him in the midst of a storm.
God is surrounded by two angels and the four living creatures,
symbolic beings of the Evangelists or tetramorphs.
a man - generally identified with the evangelist Matthew,
a winged lion - Mark,
a winged ox - Luke
and
an eagle capable of contemplating the sun, chosen to symbolize John's ability
to contemplate the divine nature
Ezekiel places the creatures in a specific spatial arrangement:
the man and the eagle at the top and the lion and the ox at the bottom.
Raphael Raphaël
Ezekiel's Vision
La Vision d'Ézéchiel
La visión de Ezequiel
1517-1518
Galleria Palatina (Palazzo Pitti), Florence
45. St John the Evangelist holds an open book and a writing quill.
An angel points towards the sky, where the Woman of the Apocalypse has appeared.
Since the Middle Ages this heavenly vision has been identified with the Madonna.
On the ground is an eagle, a reference to the symbolic animal of the Evangelist.
The bird guards its master's writing tools, which a demon is trying to steal.
Hieronymus Bosch Jérôme Bosch
St. John the Evangelist on Patmos
Saint Jean l'Évangéliste à Patmos
San Juan en Patmos
1489
Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
49. An eagle and a swan fighting, symbols that evoke strength and courage ...
The diptych "Portrait of Johannes and Anna Cuspinian"
is an important work of the Northern Renaissance, combining individual portraits and symbolism.
The image of the swan fighting the eagle at the top of the portrait,
an emblem of courage and strength,
is taken from a passage in Pliny the Elder's work
according to which the swan is not afraid to face the terrible raptor
which it manages to defeat.
Lucas Cranach the Elder Lucas Cranach l'Ancien
Portrait of Anna Cuspinian
Portrait de Anna Cuspinian
El retrato de Anna Cuspinian
1502
Oskar Reinhart Collection, Winterthur
53. This work idealizes the Prince's face and body
when, in fact, he was born with grave physical and psychological malformations
that may have been due to his parents' inbreeding.
Jupiter and an eagle carrying the column of Hercules have been interpreted
as an allegory of Philip II, who, like the god of Antiquity,
is proud of his son, the new Hercules - hence the column - destined to inherit the Hispanic monarchy.
Alonso Sánchez Coello
Retrato del príncipe don Carlos de Austria
Prince Don Carlos
Portrait de Don Carlos
1555-1559
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid
56. The eagle ...
is present on the carpet under Napoleon's feet, on the back of the throne,
and also on the imperial insignia, especially on the collar of the Legion of Honor.
The eagle symbolizes Napoleon's power, strength and authority.
The eagle recalls the heritage of Rome, symbol of the foundation of civilization.
The eagle is a central emblem of the Empire,
a powerful symbol of the Empire and of Napoleon's power.
Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres
Napoléon Ier sur le trône impérial
Napoleon I on His Imperial Throne
Napoleón en su trono imperial
1806
Musée de l'Armée, Paris
60. a white eagle trampled underfoot by Jason ...
Jason, by stepping on the eagle, shows a posture of dominance and victory.
This posture is reminiscent of figures such as St. Michael defeating the Devil
or St. George fighting the dragon,
evoking comparisons with Christian iconographies of saints triumphing over evil
(according to Le Musée critique de la Sorbonne).
Gustave Moreau
Jason ou Jason et Médée
Jason or Jason and Medea
Jason
1865
Musée d’Orsay, Paris
64. hippocampus for water
lion for earth
eagle for air
they are part of an allegory in which love, symbolized by a deity, dominates the three elements
The eagle
its presence can be interpreted as a symbol of strength, power and dominion,
qualities that love can also possess,
being able to transcend and control the most powerful elements of nature.
Benjamin West
Omnia Vincit Amor, or The Power of Love in the Three Elements
Omnia Vincit Amor, ou Le Pouvoir de l'Amour dans les Trois Éléments
Omnia Vincit Amor o El poder del Amor sobre los Tres Elementos
1809
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Manhattan, New York City
69. eagles ...
symbols of freedom, strength and the awe-inspiring nature of the Alps
the grandeur and mystery of the natural world
Carl Gustav Carus
Fantasy of the Alps. Eagles Nesting on an Alpine Peak
Fantaisie du monde alpin. Aigles nichant sur un cor des Alpes
Fantasía de los Alpes
1822
Nationalmuseum, Stockholm
72. a crescent moon in the sky
a bird's nest with two eggs sits on a stone wall
and
a mountain with the form of an eagle
...
a sense of mystery and wonder,
as the viewer is invited to question the nature of reality and perception
seamlessly blending the natural and the surreal
The painting, inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's story of the same name.
René Magritte
Le domaine d’Arnheim
The Domain of Arnheim
El Dominio de Arnheim
1962
Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels
75. Eagle in Paintings
Aigle dans la peinture
Águila en las pinturas
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