Jason and the Dragon (c. 1663): Art, History and Details

Jason and the Dragon (c. 1663) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Salvator Rosa (Italian, 1615–1673).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece required him to bypass a fearsome dragon, which he was able to do with a sleeping potion given to him by the witch Medea. Salvatore Rosa selected classical narratives to prove he was a great and learned painter of histories, and he showcased the novelty of being among the first 16th- or 17th-century artists to portray this particular story. Rosa turned the ancient epic into a moody struggle by transmitting the mystery and magic of his earlier witchcraft imagery. Utilizing the energetic and spontaneous qualities of his draftsmanship, the violence of Jason's feat is emphasized by a claustrophobic and savage environment of crags and "blasted" trees that frames the dynamic diagonals of the hero and recoiling dragon.

Object facts

• Title: Jason and the Dragon
• Date: c. 1663
• Creator attribution: Salvator Rosa (Italian, 1615–1673)
• Culture: Italy
• Type: Print
• Technique: etching
• Dimensions: Sheet: 39.1 x 23.7 cm (15 3/8 x 9 5/16 in.)
• Collection: PR - Etching
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1966.730

Collection credit

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Richard H. Zinser

Further reading listed by the museum

• Langdon, Helen. Salvator Rosa Paint and Performance. London: Reaktion Books, Limited, 2022. pp.149-154.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.