The Birth of the Milky Way

Painting by Peter Paul Rubens

The Birth of the Milky Way

Artist	Peter Paul Rubens
Year	c. 1637
Medium	Oil on canvas
Dimensions	181 cm × 244 cm (71 in × 96 in)
Location	Museo del Prado, Madrid

The Birth of the Milky Way,^[1] also sometimes known as The Origin of the Milky Way,^[2] is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens, produced between 1636 and 1638 and featuring the Greco-Roman myth of the origin of the Milky Way. The painting depicts Hera (Juno), spilling her breast milk, the infant Heracles (Hercules) and Zeus (Jupiter) in the background, identifiable by his eagle and lightning bolts. Hera's face is modelled on Rubens' wife, Hélène Fourment.^[1] The carriage is pulled by peacocks,^[3] a bird which the ancient Greeks and Romans considered sacred to both themselves and to Hera/Juno, as a result of their ability to signal changes in weather through cries and hence their perceived connection to the gods.^[4]

With a width of 244 cm (96 in) and height of 181 cm (71 in),^[1] the image was a part of the commission from Philip IV of Spain to decorate Torre de la Parada.^[5] It is now held at the Museo del Prado, in Madrid.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "The Birth of the Milky Way". Museo del Prado. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
^ Larry Silver (2017). Rubens, Velázquez, and the King of Spain. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN 9781351550383.
^ Murray Longmore; Ian Wilkinson; Ian Boden Wilkinson; Andrew Baldwin; Elizabeth Wallin (2014). Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine. OUP Oxford. p. 229. ISBN 978-0-19-960962-8.
^ H. Harbaugh (1853). The Guardian. Vol. 4. p. 210.
^ Rosa López Torrijos (1998). Mythology & History in the Great Paintings. Scala Books. p. 52. ISBN 9781857592054.

Peter Paul Rubens

Paintings
and drawings

The Descent from the Cross (Siegen; 1600–1602)
Leda and the Swan (1601, 1602)
The Deposition (1602)
Self-Portrait in a Circle of Friends from Mantua (1602–1605)
Equestrian Portrait of the Duke of Lerma (1603)
Portrait of a Young Woman (1603)
Hercules and Omphale (1603)
Heraclitus and Democritus (1603)
Virgin and Child (c. 1604)
The Fall of Phaeton (c. 1604/1605)
The Baptism of Christ (1604–1605)
The Gonzaga Family in Adoration of the Holy Trinity (1604–1605)
Transfiguration (1604–1605)
The Circumcision (1605)
Portrait of Marchesa Brigida Spinola-Doria (1606)
Portrait of Maria di Antonio Serra (1606)
Portrait of a Noblewoman with an Attendant (1606)
Portrait of Giovanni Carlo Doria on Horseback (1606)
Madonna della Vallicella (1606–1608)
Susanna and the Elders (1607)
The Head of Saint John the Baptist Presented to Salome (c. 1609)
Adoration of the Magi (Madrid; 1609 and 1628–29)
Samson and Delilah (1609–1610)
Honeysuckle Bower (1609–1610)
Coronation of the Virgin (1609–1611)
Juno and Argus (1610)
Raising of the Cross (1610–1611)
Conversion of Saint Paul (London; 1610–1612)
Massacre of the Innocents (c. 1611)
Venus Frigida (1611)
Prometheus Bound (1611–1612)
The Four Philosophers (1611–1612)
Antwerp Resurrection (1611–1612)
Visitation (c. 1611–1615)
Roman Charity (1612)
Ecce Homo (1612)
Descent from the Cross (Antwerp; 1612–1614)
Saint Teresa of Ávila's Vision of the Holy Spirit (Rotterdam; 1612–1614)
Saint Teresa of Ávila's Vision of the Holy Spirit (Cambridge; c. 1614)
The Tribute Money (1612–1614)
The Defeat of Sennacherib (1612–1614)
The Four Continents (1610s)
Christ Giving the Keys to Saint Peter (1612–1614)
Portrait of a Commander (1613)
The Crowning of the Virtuous Hero (1613–1614)
The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (1613–1615)
The Death of Adonis (1614)
Venus and Adonis (1614)
St Sebastian (c. 1614)
The Virgin Mary and Saint Francis Saving the World from Christ's Anger (c. 1614)
Madonna della Cesta (1615)
Ixion, King of the Lapiths, Deceived by Juno, Who He Wished to Seduce (1615)
Daniel in the Lions' Den (1615)
Bacchanalia (c. 1615)
A Statue of Ceres (c. 1615)
The Hippopotamus and Crocodile Hunt (1615–1616)
The Tiger Hunt (1615–1616)
Theodosius and Saint Ambrose (1615–1616)
The Wild Boar Hunt (1615-1617)
Florence Resurrection (1616)
The Virgin and Child Surrounded by the Holy Innocents (1616)
Erichthonius Discovered by the Daughters of Cecrops (c. 1616)
The Wolf and Fox Hunt (c. 1616)
The Lion and Leopard Hunt (c. 1616)
Romulus and Remus (1615–1616)
Saint Stephen Triptych (1616–1617)
Two Women with a Candle (1616–1617)
Descent from the Cross (Lille; 1616–1617)
The Meeting Between Abraham and Melchizedek (1616–1617)
Christ and the Penitent Sinners (1617)
Mars and Rhea Silvia (1617)
The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man (1617)
The Great Last Judgement (1617)
A Bearded Man (c. 1617–18)
Adoration of the Magi (Lyon; 1617–1618)
The Five Senses (1617–1618)
Two Satyrs (1618)
Medusa (1618)
The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus (c. 1618)
Christ Triumphant over Sin and Death (c. 1618)
The Prodigal Son (1618)
The Union of Earth and Water (c. 1618)
Tigress with Her Cubs (attributed; 1618)
Mucius Scaevola before Lars Porsenna (c. 1618–1620)
Feast in the House of Simon the Pharisee (1618–1620)
The Wild Boar Hunt (1618-1620)
St Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy (1619–1620)
The Small Last Judgement (1619)
Conversion of Saint Paul (1620s)
The Fall of the Damned (c. 1620)
Landscape with Philemon and Baucis (c. 1620)
Portrait of a Young Man in Armor (c. 1620)
Saint George and the Dragon (c. 1620)
Perseus Freeing Andromeda (1620)
Saints Dominic and Francis Saving the World from Christ's Anger (1620)
The Rape of Orithyia by Boreas (1620)
Christ on the Cross (1620)
The Three Graces (Florence; 1620–1623)
Isabella Brant (c. 1621)
The Lion Hunt (1621)
Marie de' Medici cycle (1621–1630)
Portrait of Susanna Lunden (1622)
Perseus and Andromeda (c. 1622)
The History of Constantine (1622–1625)
Self-Portrait (1623)
The Conversion of Saint Bavo (1623–1624)
Diana and Her Nymphs Leaving for the Hunt (1623–1624)
Adoration of the Magi (Antwerp; 1624)
The Reconciliation of Esau and Jacob (1624)
Christ Appointing Saint Roch as Patron Saint of Plague Victims (1623–1626)
Portrait of Infante Isabella Clara Eugenia (1625)
Portrait of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham (c. 1625)
Assumption of the Virgin Mary (1625–1626)
Angelica and the Hermit (c. 1626–1628)
Henry IV at the Battle of Ivry (1627)
The Triumphal Entry of Henry IV into Paris (1627)
The Annunciation (1627–1628)
The Fall of Man (1628–1629)
The Rape of Europa (1628–1629)
Minerva Protecting Peace from Mars (1629–1630)
Cimon and Pero (1630)
Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata (c. 1630)
The Crowning of Saint Catherine (1631)
The Ildefonso Altarpiece (1630–1631)
Last Supper (1630–1631)
Odysseus on the Island of the Phaecians (1630–1635)
The Finding of Erichthonius (1632–1634)
The Rainbow Landscape (Saint Petersburg; 1632–1635)
The Garden of Love (c. 1633)
Adoration of the Magi (Cambridge; 1634)
Bathsheba at the Fountain (c. 1635)
The Dance of the Villagers (1635)
Helena Fourment with Her Son Frans (1635)
Venus and Adonis (New York; 1635)
The Triumph of the Church (1635)
The Feast of Venus (1635–1636)
The Feast of Herod (1635–1638)
The Village Fête (1635–1638)
Mercury and Argus (1635–1638)
Hercules's Dog Discovers Purple Dye (c. 1636)
Helena Fourment with Children (1636)
A View of Het Steen in the Early Morning (1636)
Saturn (1636)
The Rainbow Landscape (London; 1636)
Pallas and Arachne (1636–1637)
Het Pelsken (1636–1638)
The Birth of the Milky Way (c. 1637)
Consequences of War (c. 1638)
Hercules in the Garden of the Hesperides / Deianira Listens to Fame (1638)
The Three Graces (Madrid; 1636–1638)
The Rape of Ganymede (1636–1638)
Diana and Callisto (1637–1638)
Helena Fourment with a Carriage (1638)
Self-Portrait (Vienna; 1638–1639)
Bacchus (1638–1640)
The Rape of the Sabine Women (1639–1640)
The Peasants Returning From The Fields (1640)
The Rainbow Landscape (Munich; 1640)
Judgment of Paris (various)

Tapestries

The History of Constantine (1622–1640) (with Pietro da Cortona)

Books

Palazzi di Genova (1622)

Museums

Rubenshuis

People

Rubens family
Isabella Brant (first wife)
Helena Fourment (second wife)
Nicolaas Rubens, Lord of Rameyen (son)
Albert Rubens (son)
Jan Rubens (father)
Maria Pypelinckx (mother)
Philip Rubens (brother)
Tobias Verhaecht (teacher)
Adam van Noort (teacher)
Otto van Veen (teacher)
Nicolaas Rockox (friend)

Poussinists and Rubenists
Rubens (1977 film)
Rubenesque
Rubens' Europe (exhibition)

Museo del Prado

Buildings
Villanueva building Casón del Buen Retiro Hall of Realms Cloister of Saint Jerome

Paintings

Spanish	Esquivel: José de Espronceda Gisbert: Execution of Torrijos and his Companions on the Beach at Málaga Goya: Allegory of Industry – Asmodea – Atropos – Blind Man's Bluff – Boys playing soldiers – Charles IV of Spain and His Family – Los caprichos – Christ Crucified – The Clothed Maja – The Colossus – The Countess of Chinchon – Los disparates – The Dog – The Drunk Mason – The Duchess of Alba and la Beata – Fight with Cudgels – Judith and Holofernes – La Leocadia – Man Mocked by Two Women – La novillada – Portrait of the Marchioness of Santa Cruz – Men Reading – The Milkmaid of Bordeaux – The Naked Maja – The Parasol – A Pilgrimage to San Isidro – Pilgrimage to the Fountain of San Isidro – Saturn Devouring His Son – The Second of May 1808 – Self-portrait at 69 years – Summer – The Third of May 1808 – Two Old Men – Two Old Ones Eating Soup – The Victorious Hannibal Seeing Italy from the Alps for the First Time – Witches' Flight – Witches' Sabbath (The Great He-Goat) El Greco: The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest – Adoration of the Shepherds – Doña María de Aragón Altarpiece – Annunciation – Christ Carrying the Cross – The Fable – The Flight into Egypt – Holy Face of Jesus – Holy Trinity – Julián Romero and Saint Julian – Portrait of a Doctor – Portrait of a Gentleman – Portrait of a Young Nobleman – Portrait of an Elderly Man – Portrait of an Unknown Gentleman – Portrait of Jerónimo de Cevallos – Portrait of Rodrigo Vázquez de Arce – Saint Andrew and Saint Francis – Saint Anthony of Padua – Saint Bernardino of Siena ^[1] – Saint James the Great – Saint John the Evangelist – Saint Paul – Saint Sebastian – Saint Thomas the Apostle – Holy Trinity – The Saviour – Virgin Mary Luna: The Death of Cleopatra Maíno: Adoration of the Magi – Portrait of a Gentleman – The Recovery of Bahía de Todos los Santos Murillo: Adoration of the Shepherds (1650) – Aranjuez Immaculate Conception – The Christ Child and the Infant John the Baptist with a Shell – Christ on the Cross (1675, 1677) – The Conversion of Saint Paul – The Good Shepherd – The Holy Family with a Little Bird – The Immaculate Conception of El Escorial – The Immaculate Conception of Los Venerables – The Martyrdom of Saint Andrew – Our Lady of the Rosary – The Patrician's Dream – Rebecca and Eleazar Pradilla: Doña Joanna the Mad Ribera: Jacob's Dream – Democritus – Isaac and Jacob – Ixion – Tityos – The Martyrdom of Saint Philip – The Blind Sculptor Sánchez Gallque: The Mulattos of Esmeraldas ^[2] Velázquez: Las Meninas – The Triumph of Bacchus – Las Hilanderas – The Surrender of Breda – Mars Resting – Equestrian Portrait of Philip IV – Equestrian Portrait of Elisabeth of France – Equestrian Portrait of Prince Balthasar Charles – Equestrian Portrait of Philip III – Equestrian Portrait of Margarita of Austria – Equestrian Portrait of the Count-Duke of Olivares – Adoration of the Magi – Apollo in the Forge of Vulcan – Christ Crucified – Coronation of the Virgin – View of the Garden of the Villa Medici – Prince Balthasar Charles as a Hunter – Portrait of the Infante Don Carlos – Doña Antonia de Ipeñarrieta y Galdós and Her Son Don Luis – The Jester Barbarroja – The Jester Calabacillas – The Jester Don Diego de Acedo – The Jester Don John of Austria – Portrait of Francisco Lezcano – Infanta Margarita Teresa in a Pink Dress – Portrait of Maria Anna – Portrait of Juan Martínez Montañés – The Nun Jerónima de la Fuente – Portrait of Pablo de Valladolid – Portrait of Philip IV in Armour – Portrait of Mariana of Austria – Portrait of Sebastián de Morra Zurbarán: Agnus Dei – The Death of Hercules – The Defence of Cádiz Against the English – Hercules and the Hydra – Hercules Separates Mounts Calpe and Abylla – Hercules Fighting the Nemean Lion – Saint Elizabeth of Portugal – Saint Luke Painting the Crucifixion – Saint Peter Nolasco's Vision of Saint Peter the Apostle – Still Life with Pots – The Vision of Saint Peter Nolasco
Dutch, Flemish, German	Anonymous: The Fountain of Life Baldung: The Three Ages of Man and Death Bosch: The Garden of Earthly Delights – Adoration of the Magi – Cutting the Stone – The Haywain Triptych – Head of a Halberdier – Paradise and Hell – The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things – The Temptation of St Anthony Bouts: Triptych of the Virgin's Life Bruegel the Elder: The Triumph of Death – The Wine of Saint Martin's Day – Excursion in the Countryside of Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia – Life in the Countryside – The Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia in the Mariemont Park (with de Momper) – Landscape (with de Momper) – The Five Senses (with Rubens) Campin: Marriage of the Virgin – Werl Triptych de Crayer: Caritas Romana (1625) David: Rest on the Flight into Egypt Dürer: Adam and Eve – Self-Portrait van Dyck: Self-portrait with Sir Endymion Porter – The Betrayal of Christ – The Brazen Serpent – Diana and a Nymph Surprised by a Satyr – Saint Rosalia – The Crowning with Thorns van Hemessen: The Surgeon Francken the Younger: The Sciences and the Arts Jordaens: Apollo as Victor over Pan – Meleager and Atalanta – The Painter's Family Memling: Adoration of the Magi Mengs: Portrait of José Nicolás de Azara de Momper: Landscape with Sea and Mountains – A Farm – Flemish Market and Washing Place – Landscape with Skaters – The Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia in the Mariemont Park (with Brueghel the Elder) – Landscape (with Brueghel the Elder) Patinir: Landscape with Charon Crossing the Styx Rembrandt: Judith at the Banquet of Holofernes Rubens: The Judgement of Paris (1638) – The Three Graces – Adoration of the Magi – The Dance of the Villagers – Diana and Callisto – Equestrian Portrait of the Duke of Lerma – The Fall of Man – The Garden of Love – The Birth of the Milky Way – The Rape of Europa – The Rape of Ganymede – Saint George and the Dragon – Saturn – The Triumph of the Church – Deucalion and Pyrrha – The Five Senses (with Brueghel the Elder) Stom: The Incredulity of Saint Thomas Strobel: Feast of Herod with the Beheading of St John the Baptist Teniers the Younger: Archduke Leopold Wilhelm in his Painting Gallery in Brussels (1651) Verhaecht: Alpine Landscape van der Weyden: The Descent from the Cross – Durán Madonna
Italian	Fra Angelico: Annunciation Anguissola: Portrait of Elisabeth of Valois – Portrait of Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia ^[3] – Portrait of Giovanni Battista Caselli Barocci: Nativity Bellini: Madonna and Child with Saint Mary Magdalene and Saint Ursula Botticelli: The Story of Nastagio Degli Onesti, part one Caravaggio: David and Goliath Carracci: Assumption of the Virgin – Mural Paintings from the Herrera Chapel – Venus, Adonis and Cupid Correggio: Noli me tangere – Madonna and Child with the Infant John the Baptist A. Gentileschi: The Birth of Saint John the Baptist O. Gentileschi: The Finding of Moses (1633) Leonardo: Mona Lisa (by his studio) Lotto: Portrait of Marsilio Cassotti and His Bride Faustina Mantegna: Death of the Virgin Parmigianino: Holy Family with Angels – Portrait of Camilla Gonzaga and Her Three Sons – Portrait of Pier Maria Rossi di San Secondo – Saint Barbara Raphael: Portrait of a Cardinal – Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary – Madonna of the Rose – Visitation – La Perla (with Romano) Romano: Holy Family under an Oak Tree Andrea del Sarto: Sacrifice of Isaac Tintoretto: Christ Washing the Disciples' Feet – Joseph and Potiphar's Wife – Judith and Holofernes (by his studio) – The Washing of the Feet Tiepolo: The Immaculate Conception Titian: The Bacchanal of the Andrians – Equestrian Portrait of Charles V – The Fall of Man – Alfonso d'Avalos Addressing his Troops – Danaë Receiving the Golden Rain (1565) – The Entombment – La Gloria – Madonna and Child with St Anthony of Padua and St Roch – Mater Dolorosa – Philip II in Armour – Portrait of Charles V with a Dog – Portrait of Federico II Gonzaga – Portrait of Isabella of Portugal – Sisyphus – Tityus – Religion saved by Spain – Self-Portrait (1567) – St Margaret and the Dragon – Venus and Adonis (1554) – Venus and Musician (1550, 1555) – The Virgin and Child with Saint George and Saint Dorothy – The Worship of Venus Veronese: Venus and Adonis – Christ Among the Doctors – The Finding of Moses
French	Anonymous: Agony in the Garden Baudry: The Pearl and the Wave van Loo: The Family of Philip V (1743) Lorrain: Landscape with St Paula of Rome Embarking at Ostia – The Ford – Landscape with St María de Cervelló – Landscape with the Burial of St Serapia – Landscape with the Finding of Moses – Landscape with the Temptation of St Anthony – Landscape with Tobias and Raphael Poussin: Parnassus – Landscape with Three Figures – Saint Cecilia Ranc: The Family of Philip V (1723) – Portrait of Ferdinand VI as a Boy Watteau: Marriage Contract and Country Dancing Vouet: Time Defeated by Love, Beauty and Hope
Other	British paintings

Sculptures

Rome	The Apotheosis of Claudius Castor and Pollux

^[1] On display at El Greco Museum in Toledo
^[2] On display at Museo de América in Madrid
^[3] On display at the Spanish Embassy in Paris

Category

Hercules (Heracles)

Hercle
Ercole
Hercule
Alcide

Family

Zeus (father)
Alcmene (mother)
Megara, Omphale, Deianira, and Hebe (wives)
Heracleidae (children)

Events

Literature

Poems	Heracles Papyrus Shield of Heracles Catalogue of Women L'Atlàntida
Plays	Herakles Women of Trachis Hercules Furens Hercules Oetaeus
Other	The Labours of Hercules Hercules and the Wagoner

Art

Hercules and the lion of Nemea (5th century BCE)
Hercules of the Forum Boarium (2nd century BCE)
Lansdowne Heracles (c. 125)
Statue of Hercules, Dura-Europos (c. 150–256)
Farnese Hercules (216)
Hercules slaying Antaeus (c. 1460)
Hercules and Deianira (c. 1470)
Hercules and the Hydra (c. 1475)
Hercules Killing the Stymphalian Birds (1500)
Hercules and Antaeus (c. 1500–1510)
The Choice of Hercules (c. 1520–1525)
Hercules and Antaeus (1531)
Hercules and Cacus (1534)
The Origin of the Milky Way (1575–1580)
The Choice of Hercules (1596)
Hercules and Omphale (1603)
Hercules Fighting the Nemean Lion (1634)
Hercules and the Hydra (1634)
Hercules Separates Mounts Calpe and Abylla (1634)
The Death of Hercules (1634)
Hercules's Dog Discovers Purple Dye (1636)
The Origin of the Milky Way (1637)
Hercules in the Garden of the Hesperides (1638)
Landscape with Hercules and Cacus (c. 1660)
Hercules and Omphale (1732–1734)
Libertas Americana (1783)
The Sanctuary of Hercules (1884)
Hercules the Archer (1909)
Achelous and Hercules (1947)
The Twelve Labors of Hercules (1981)
The Labors of Herakles (2006–2008)
Hercules and the Erymanthian Boar
Hercules and the Nemean Lion

Opera

Ercole amante (1662)
Alcide (1693)
Ercole su'l Termodonte (1723)
Admeto (1727)
Laßt uns sorgen, laßt uns wachen, BWV 213 (1733)
Hercules (1744)
Le nozze d'Ercole e d'Ebe (1747)
The Choice of Hercules (1750)
Hercule mourant (1761)
Le Rouet d'Omphale (1871)
Déjanire (1911)
Atlántida (1962)
Hercules vs. Vampires (2010)

Films

Italian series	Hercules (1957) Hercules Unchained (1959) Goliath and the Dragon (1960) The Loves of Hercules (1960) Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis (1961) Hercules in the Haunted World (1961) Hercules in the Valley of Woe (1961) The Fury of Hercules (1962) Hercules, Samson and Ulysses (1963) Hercules vs. Moloch (1963) Hercules the Invincible (1964) Hercules Against Rome (1964) Hercules Against the Sons of the Sun (1964) The Triumph of Hercules (1964) Samson and His Mighty Challenge (1964) Hercules and the Tyrants of Babylon (1964) Hercules and the Princess of Troy (1965) Hercules the Avenger (1965)
Other European live-action	Herakles (1962) Hercules Against the Moon Men (1964)
American films live-action	The Warrior's Husband (1933) The Three Stooges Meet Hercules (1962) Jason and the Argonauts (1963) Hercules in New York (1970) Hercules (1983) The Adventures of Hercules (1985) Jason and the Argonauts (2000) Immortals (2011) The Legend of Hercules (2014) Hercules (2014)
Animated films	Hercules (1995) Hercules (1997) Hercules: Zero to Hero (1998) Hercules and Xena – The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus (1998)