Andromeda
1600mm x 1300mm
Oil on canvas
2026
First mentioned: Pherecydes of Athens, ca. 450 - 400 BCE
The Story of Andromeda
Andromeda was the beautiful daughter of King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia boasted that her daughter was more beautiful than the Nereids, the sea nymphs who accompanied the god Poseidon. Angered by her arrogance, Poseidon sent a terrible sea monster named Cetus to ravage the kingdom. To appease the gods, Andromeda was chained to a rock by the sea as a sacrifice to the monster.
As Andromeda awaited her fate, the hero Perseus, accompanied by Pegasus arrived after defeating Medusa. Seeing her beauty and learning of her plight, he offered to rescue her in exchange for her hand in marriage. Perseus confronted the sea monster and defeated it, freeing Andromeda from the rock.
The two were married, but their happiness was threatened when Andromeda’s former suitor, Phineus, appeared with his followers and attempted to claim her. Perseus fought them and ultimately used Medusa’s severed head to turn Phineus and his men to stone.
The gods placed Andromeda and Perseus among the stars. Andromeda became the constellation that still bears her name, forever remembered alongside Perseus, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, and the sea monster Cetus.
