Nymphs and Satyrs, an allegory of fire

This circa 1650 allegorical painting of Nymphs and Satyrs as an allegory of Fire belongs to a series of the Four Elements, a popular Baroque subject that combined mythological imagery with natural philosophy. Jordaens' treatment emphasizes the sensual, physical aspect of the mythological figures. Jordaens, who outlived both Rubens and Van Dyck to become the dominant figure in Flemish Baroque painting for the second half of the seventeenth century, was particularly celebrated for his exuberant genre subjects, especially his series on the Flemish proverb about the King of the Bean.

The allegorical composition combines robust nude figures with symbolic elements of fire, rendered in Jordaens' warm palette with characteristically vigorous brushwork and fleshy naturalism.