Zeus Strikes Phaethon with a Thunderbolt

Former TitleJupiter Restrains the Pilot of the Chariot by Means of a Mighty Thunderbolt

Artist Workshop of Jan Leyniers (Flemish, 1630 - 1686)

Date1665-1685

MediumTapestry with wool and silk

DimensionsOverall: 161 × 201 inches (408.94 × 510.54 cm)

Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust

Object number33-17/7

On View

On view

Gallery Location

Kirkwood Hall

Collections

Architecture, Design and Decorative Arts

Terms

Gallery Label

This is the seventh in a series of eight tapestries depicting scenes from the life of Phaeton, son of Helios, the Greek sun god. While driving his father's chariot of the sun across the sky, the inexperienced and youthful Phaeton lost control of the powerful horses and they veered off course, careening dangerously close to the earth. Here, people throw up their hands to implore Zeus, in the upper left corner, for salvation, while Neptune watches from his sea chariot to the right. Fearing the earth will be set on fire and destroyed, Zeus strikes down the chariot with a thunderbolt. The chariot disintegrates and Phaeton is thrown into the legendary river Eridanus, where he drowns.

Provenance

J. P. Morgan, Sr. (1837-1913), New York, by December 1909-1913 [1];

By descent to his son, J. P. Morgan, Jr. (1867-1943), New York, 1913-November 25, 1932 [1];

Purchased from Morgan by French and Company, New York, stock no. 17698A-H, November 25, 1932-January 30, 1933 [2];

Purchased from French and Company by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1933.

NOTES:

[1] J. P. Morgan, Sr. lent three of the eight tapestries in this series to the Wadsworth Atheneum in December 1909 and they remained there until May 1932. J. P. Morgan, Jr. lent the remaining five tapestries in the series to the Wadsworth Atheneum from March 1928 to August 1932.

[2] Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, French and Company Stock Sheets, box 17, folder 4 and Getty Photo Archive, 76.P.43, Textiles box 9. Morgan consigned five of the eight tapestries to French and Company from 1925 to 1928, but they failed to sell. They were returned to Morgan, who then lent them to the Wadsworth Atheneum (see note 1).

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