Apollo killing the Cyclops

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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Apollo in a red cloak shoots his arrows at two one-eyed men, one of whom lies prostrate on the ground as the other flees. These are the Cyclops, a mythical race of giants, each with a single eye in the middle of his forehead. This scene is one of ten frescoes which originally adorned the walls of a garden pavilion in the grounds of the Villa Aldobrandini in Frascati, near Rome. Eight of them were transferred to canvas and are now in our collection.The picture is painted as a trompe l'oeil tapestry with an embroidered border. This is drawn up in the lower right corner to reveal a dwarf chained to a barred window, fruit and a plate with leftovers, some of which have been stolen by a cat. The dwarf was a retainer of the villa's owner, Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini, who ordered the artist to paint him like this as a punishment for impertinence.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

Apollo killing the Cyclops

Date

1616-18

Medium

Fresco, transferred to canvas and mounted on board

Measurements

H 316.3 x W 190.4 cm

Accession number

NG6290

Acquisition method

Bought, 1958

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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