Danae

Rembrandt's "Danae" is on display in St Petersburg, The Netherlands

203 x 185 cm, Oil on canvas

Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia

This story has come down to us through Greek mythology. Once upon a time, there was a king with a beautiful daughter called Danae. One day, the king heard a voice telling him that his daughter would give birth to a son, but she would murder him in the future. The king was so startled he immediately had his daughter Danae locked away in a basement. That would remove her from any contact with male suitors. But Zeus, the almighty ruler of the Gods, was famous for being able to change himself into any shape or form. He transformed himself into a shower of gold and this was how he met Danae. A son was born out of this union.