Lot 1260 Dα

The present mythological work displays an iconographic peculiarity. To the right hand side, Bosschaert has added a small figure of Cupid to this scene of Perseus rescuing Andromeda from the sea-serpent Cetus. This could be interpreted as a symbol of Andromeda and Perseus' love for each other, but de Maere sees it as an attempt by Bosschaert to combine two motifs within one image. Namely, the slaying of Cetus by Perseus and the depiction of Venus with Cupid. Therefore, Andromeda and Venus would here be combined into one figure, and Andromeda's nudity and serpentine pose are in fact reminiscent of depictions of Venus.
The composition of Bosschaert's work is influenced by paintings of the same subject by Paolo Veronese and Peter Paul Rubens. According to de Maere, the present work was painted around 1640, at the time of the artist's sojourn to Italy.