PegasusЯкоб Йорданс · 1660

Identification of the Mythological Work

The canvas titled Pegasus presents the winged horse of Greek myth. Jacob Jordaens captured this creature in oil between 1663–1665. The horse rises through a heavy, wooded landscape, its dark-tipped wings cutting through the air. It is a creature born of blood and divinity, caught in a moment of sudden, muscular ascent.

Jacob Jordaens renders the myth through a lens of physical weight. The horse is not a mere spirit of the air but a substantial, breathing entity. It moves amidst a gathering of figures and cherubs, its white body a bright puncture in the deep shadows of the forest. The scene holds the tension of a sudden movement, a sudden lift from the earth toward the clouds.

This work belongs to the Flemish Baroque. It focuses on the intersection of the divine and the tangible. The horse’s hooves and the soft skin of the surrounding infants exist in the same heavy, light-drenched space. A single, powerful beat of wings.

Composition and Visual Elements

The composition centers on the powerful, rearing figure of Pegasus. His large, dark-tipped wings spread wide across the upper third of the canvas, slicing through the atmosphere. A light source emanates from the center-left, striking the horse's chest and casting the surrounding forest into deep shadow. This use of chiaroscuro carves a sense of depth into the wooded landscape, pulling the eye through the layers of foliage and light.

The palette is rooted in the earth. Deep browns and forest greens dominate the background, providing a heavy, dark stage for the luminous white and cream of the horse's body. The texture is painterly. Visible brushwork defines the softness of the clouds and the muscularity of the equine form. Every stroke captures the weight of the animal and the movement of the air around it.

Materials and Technical Details

The artist applied oil to a large canvas, a surface measuring 258.6 cm in height and 270.3 cm in width. This expansive scale allows the muscularity of the equine form to dominate the viewer's field of vision. The Flemish Baroque style is evident in the heavy, physical presence of the figures and the energetic application of pigment.

Light and shadow act as sculptors within the composition. Chiaroscuro creates deep, dark recesses in the wooded landscape, pushing the luminous white of the horse's body forward. The paint is layered to capture the softness of clouds and the tension in the limbs of the surrounding figures. Every brushstroke follows the movement of the scene, from the sweeping curve of a wing to the twisting torso of a putto.

The texture of the work reveals the hand of the painter. Visible brushwork defines the anatomy of the horse and the delicate skin of the infants. This tactile approach grounds the mythological subject in a tangible, fleshy reality. The interplay of light and shadow gives weight to the air itself.

Where to See This Masterpiece Today

The winged horse resides within the walls of the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen. This institution sits in Antwerp, Belgium. It remains one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the country. Visitors find the work under inventory number 218.

The museum provides a quiet space for the study of this oil on canvas. The heavy frame holds the horse against a dark, wooded backdrop. Light falls across the canvas in the halls of the KMSKA. It waits there in the stillness of the gallery.