Erichthonius Discovered by the Daughters of Cecrops

Erichthonius Discovered by the Daughters of Cecrops (c. 1616) at the Liechtenstein Museum is among the most compositionally sophisticated of Rubens's treatments of this Ovidian myth — a large canvas that allows him to explore three simultaneous psychological states (the three sisters' different reactions to the basket's contents) within a single unified composition. The myth's appeal to Rubens lay in its combination of revelation, horror, and beauty: the three daughters of the first king of Athens, each responding differently to the discovery of the serpent-guarded infant in Athena's basket, gave him the opportunity to display three distinct female figures in different emotional states — a compositional challenge that demonstrated both his psychological range and his mastery of the female figure. The Liechtenstein collection's holding of this large canvas alongside other important Rubens mythological subjects represents the sustained engagement with his work that made the Liechtenstein one of the finest private collections of Flemish Baroque painting in the world.

The composition groups three nude female figures around the opened basket, each reacting differently to the discovery. Rubens' luminous flesh painting and the varied poses create a dynamic composition that combines beauty with narrative drama.

This mythological subject from 1616 has been conserved over the centuries. The canvas has been relined. The variety of flesh tones — from the serpentine infant to the luminous women — has been preserved through careful conservation. Some areas of the dark background have lost transparency.