Ixion

Ixion (1632), in the Museo del Prado, depicts the mythological king who was bound to a perpetually spinning wheel in Tartarus as punishment for attempting to seduce Hera. Ribera renders this scene of eternal torment with characteristic physical intensity, the body stretched and twisted on the wheel in an anatomy of suffering. The painting belongs to a series of damned figures from classical mythology that allowed Ribera to explore extreme physical states.

The dramatic composition shows the bound figure of Ixion strapped to the wheel, his muscular body contorted in agony. Ribera's powerful chiaroscuro and anatomical precision create a visceral sense of physical torment against the fire-lit darkness.