Hera hiding during the battle between the gods and the giants

Carel Fabritius's Hera Hiding During the Battle Between the Gods and the Giants (1640) is an unusual mythological subject from the early career of the Rembrandt pupil, depicting the Gigantomachy — the mythological battle between the Olympian gods and the earth-born Giants — with Hera taking cover from the combat. The Gigantomachy was a traditional subject of ancient art, associated with cosmic order triumphant over chaos, but Fabritius's choice to focus on the hiding goddess rather than the heroic combat is idiosyncratic. It was acquired by the Pushkin Museum and represents Fabritius's engagement with ambitious multi-figure historical and mythological composition early in his brief career.

Fabritius deploys the dramatic tonal contrasts associated with Rembrandt's school to convey the chaos and terror of battle. Dark, pressing shadows frame the cowering Hera, whose figure is illuminated from below by the light of conflict. The composition focuses on psychological vulnerability rather than heroic action.