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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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