Prometheus Bound

The painting Prometheus Bound by Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens acts as a visual interpretation from the Greek Poet Aeschylus’s play of the same name; it depicts the titan Prometheus bound to a rock and being consumed by an eagle as punishment by Zeus for giving humans the knowledge of fire. Katherine Crawford Luber from the Philadelphia Museum of Art observes that “this complex painting could be regarded as the artist's commentary on either the struggles of creativity or the ideal of heroic spiritual suffering.” Prometheus was intended to be bound there eternally, his immortality healing his wounds and keeping him alive through incesant torture.

Shelley's definitive title being in two parts, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, indicates that the novel is linked to the original Greek myth. Ideas present in the myth, including the attainment of forbidden knowledge, defying the natural order, and "heroic spiritual suffering," can be seen in Victor Frankenstein's character as he is "tortured" by the monster's existence. The Monster also showcases mythical ideas from Prometheus by his fascination with fire and being created by a tortured individual. The painting itself is representative of the ideas transferred from the original play across time into Shelley’s novel.

Another artifact within the museum, The Persevering Surgeon, is also a representation of ideas that influenced Mary Shelley.

Andrew Good

"Prometheus Bound." Digital image and information from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. https://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/104468.html

Description quote. Katherine Crawford Luber, from Philadelphia Museum of Art: Handbook of the Collections(1995), p. 174. https://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/104468.html

Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish (active Italy, Antwerp, and England), 1577 - 1640, and Frans Snyders, Flemish (active Antwerp), 1579 - 1657.
Digital image made available by the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Original artwork housed at Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Begun c. 1611-1612, completed by 1618.

Image rights to Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Digital Image. JPEG

Physical image. Oil on canvas painting

Artwork.

Oil on Canvas.

7 feet 11 1/2 inches × 6 feet 10 1/2 inches (242.6 × 209.6 cm)