Van Haarlem combines two episodes of the myth of Cadmus and the dragon in one painting

The Companions of Cadmus Devoured by the Dragon, Cornelis van Haarlem, 1588.

The Greek myth of Cadmus, who came to Boeotia to found the city of Thebes, tells how the companions of Cadmus were slain by an enormous dragon that guarded the sacred spring of Ares.

The moment when the monster devours the companions of Cadmus is depicted in the painting. But the most interesting thing is that van Haarlem shows, on a single canvas, both the killing of Cadmus's comrades and the meeting of Cadmus with the dragon, events that took place at different times.

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Van Haarlem combines two episodes of the myth of Cadmus and the dragon in one painting

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