Saturn (Rubens) facts for kids

Saturn or Saturn Devouring His Son is a famous painting from 1636. It was created by a talented artist named Peter Paul Rubens from Flanders (which is now part of Belgium). Today, you can see this painting in the Museo del Prado museum in Madrid, Spain.

This painting was ordered by Philip IV of Spain for a place called the Torre de la Parada. Rubens had traveled to Italy, and you can see how much he was inspired by another great artist, Michelangelo, in this work.

What the Painting Shows

The painting tells a story from ancient Greek myths. It shows a powerful god, a Titan named Cronus, eating one of his own children.

The Myth Behind It

In the original Greek myth, Cronus was afraid that one of his children would take over his power, just as he had taken power from his own father. So, to prevent this, he swallowed his children whole right after they were born. Later, he ended up spitting them back out, still whole. However, Rubens' painting shows Cronus actually biting into his child, which makes the scene much more dramatic and scary.

Galileo and the Stars

Look closely at the top of the painting. You might see three stars. These stars represent the planet Saturn as it was described by the famous scientist Galileo a few years before Rubens painted this. Galileo had a telescope, but it wasn't powerful enough to see Saturn's rings clearly. He thought the central star was the planet itself, and the two smaller "stars" on either side were just two other stars lined up with it. We now know that these were actually parts of the amazing rings around the planet.

See also

In Spanish: Saturno (Rubens) para niños