Rembrandt
Danaë was a princess of Greek mythology, whose father Acrisius had shut her up in a bronze cage, prophesying that her son would kill him. But Zeus, the King of the Gods, needed her. In the shape of a silver storm, he came to her chamber and impregnated her.
The drawing by Rembrandt , known to be one of his most beautiful, portrays the character lying nude in her bed and embracing Zeus.
Instead of paying attention to idealizing her physical appearance, Rembrandt exploits a woman's desire for having her husband.
His wife Saskia was the original model for Danaë, but ten years later he changed the face of the character to that of his mistress Geertje Dircx.In 1772, Catherine the Great of Russia purchased the painting for the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, where it now remains. In 1985, Danaë was assaulted by an mad man called Bronius Maigys, who poured acid on the canvas and slit it repeatedly with a knife. The artwork was revived in 1997.
