The beautiful golden spandrels in this painting will no doubt draw your attention. They are indeed a very special part of this work of art. Special, in that golden spandrels do not often border a painting, but special too, in that they contain several mythical characters. In the centre part we see Hercules with a lion and a centaur. To his left and right we see satyrs, nymphs, archers. On first sight, these heathen figures do not seem to match the sweet religious scene. However, when this painting was made, there was a growing interest in Europe in stories from Roman and Greek mythology. This gave rise to the production of paintings depicting mythological themes. A lot of myths acquired a Christian or at least a moralizing explanation. What’s more, people with an impressive knowledge of mythology were considered well-read. So the donor of this painting not only wanted to demonstrate how devout he was, but he also liked to show off his knowledge.
For more information on the depicted scene , press A For more information on the golden spandrels, press B