Why it matters
Rubens shows the myth of Phaeton at the height of its action, lit by the thunderbolts hurled by Zeus, while butterfly-winged figures of the hours and seasons react in terror as the cycle of day and night is disrupted.
Did you know?
- Rubens painted it in Rome.
- It was probably reworked around 1606–1608.
- It has been in the National Gallery of Art since 1990.
Based on the Wikipedia article The Fall of Phaeton (Rubens) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
