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Cadmus, a prince of Tyre, travelled to the Delphic Oracle after his sister was stolen away by Zeus, chief of the Greek gods. There he was told that, instead of searching for his sister, he should 'follow the cow outside and wherever it rests, build a new city'.When the cow stopped Cadmus's followers went in search of water. A dragon was guarding the spring they found; it slaughtered them all. Cadmus managed to kill it, and the goddess Athena told him to sow its teeth in the ground. Armed men sprang from them -- and fought each other. Five survived to help Cadmus build the city of Thebes.Here, the dragon sinks its teeth into a man's cheek. Its claws seem to tear his flesh, but a closer look reveals that the legs and torso belong to a second person flung across his hips.
Title
Two Followers of Cadmus devoured by a Dragon
Date
1588
Medium
Oil on canvas stuck on oak
Measurements
H 148.5 x W 195.5 cm
Accession number
NG1893
Acquisition method
Presented by the Duke of Northumberland, 1838
Work type
Painting
The National Gallery, London
Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England
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