Danae

The painting Danaë by Jan Gossart, created around 1527, depicts the Greek mythological figure Danaë. In the myth, Danaë was imprisoned by her father, King Acrisius of Argos, who feared a prophecy that his grandson would kill him. Despite the confinement, Zeus visited Danaë in the form of a shower of gold, and she became the mother of the hero Perseus. Gossart's rendition features Danaë as a seminude figure within an elaborate architectural setting, a compositional device he often employed. Jan Gossart was a Netherlandish painter known for introducing Italian Renaissance styles into the Low Countries.12