The discovery of the child Erichthonius is the subject of this seventeenth-century oil painting on panel. According to the myth, Athena entrusted the infant to the three daughters of Cecrops, the legendary king of Athens, with instructions not to open the basket in which he was hidden. This painting captures the moment when the child is revealed.
The discovery of the child Erichthonius
The young women gather around the basket at the centre of the composition. One bends towards the infant, while the others respond to the discovery through their gestures and poses. Their differing attitudes give movement to the scene and direct the viewer’s attention towards its central event.
Erichthonius belongs to the ancient myths associated with Athens and Athena. In different accounts, his origins are connected with the earth and the serpent. The National Gallery of Slovenia explains this mythological episode in a study of the same subject. This link provides context for the story; it makes no claim about the authorship of the painting offered here.
Figures and setting
Steps and balustrades define the terrace on which the figures stand. Beyond them, a landscape opens the composition, while a sculpted fountain gives the right side of the scene its architectural focus. A small dog appears in the foreground. Blue, ochre and pink drapery leads the eye between the figures and towards the basket.
These details reward a closer look without distracting from the narrative. The painting brings together the intimacy of the encounter around the infant and a carefully arranged setting that gives the figures space to move.
An oil painting on panel
Measuring 49 × 63 cm (approximately 19.3 × 24.8 in), this seventeenth-century mythological painting can be appreciated both as a complete composition and through its individual details. The image gallery also includes a photograph of the wooden panel’s reverse.
With its mythological subject and balanced composition, the work would sit comfortably in a collection of antique paintings or a contemporary interior. → Learn more about our gallery and its selection of artworks.
