Momos Reproaches the Works of the Gods

This 1561 allegory at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin depicts Momos, the Greek deity of criticism and fault-finding, reproaching the works of the three Olympian creators — Hephaestus (who made man), Athena (who made a house), and Poseidon (who made a bull). The myth, drawn from Lucian's dialogues, gave Heemskerck an opportunity to engage with humanist debates about artistic criticism and creation that were acute in the mid-sixteenth century. Momos criticises each creation for imperfection: man lacks a window in his chest to reveal his thoughts; the house lacks wheels for mobility; the bull's eyes are misplaced. The allegory resonated with Erasmian humanists who valued constructive criticism while distrusting destructive censure. Heemskerck, active in learned humanist circles in Haarlem, brought considerable iconographic sophistication to this unusual subject. The Berlin Gemäldegalerie's holding situates the work within a major encyclopaedic collection where its learned reference system can be fully appreciated.

Panel with figures modelled in the Italianate manner Heemskerck developed during and after his Roman years. The deities are given heroic physical scale derived from his study of antique sculpture and Michelangelo's Sistine figures. Momos is rendered with a sardonic expression that challenges the figure-painting to convey abstract qualities — wit, malice, intelligence — through physiognomy alone. The palette employs the strong color contrasts typical of Heemskerck's Romanist mature style.