Myths in Naples NAM – The Origins of the Minotaur Myth
The uncontrolled passion of Pasiphae, wife of Minos, towards the bull that Poseidon had sent to Crete led the queen to ask Daedalus, the ingenious inventor and craftsman, to build a wooden heifer so that she could physically join with the sacred beast. From their union the Minotaur was born, then the monstrous creature was locked in the labyrinth, also designed and built by Daedalus.
In the foreground on the left is depicted Pasiphae seated on a throne completed by a footrest. She holds in her right hand a long scepter and looks towards Daedalus who shows her the wooden cow, mounted on a cart with wheels. The queen is richly dressed: she wears gold jewels and a diadem; her clothes consist of a purple overdress from which the yellow chiton bordered by a grey band can be seen. Daedalus, dressed in the short tunic of the workers, held by a fibula on the shoulder, has with him the axe with which he has just finished the work. In the background we can see a tree and a temple in perspective, which place the scene outdoors, differently from what happens in other replicas.
Source: “La Pittura Pompeiana”, Electa - Milano (2009/2014)
Roman fresco
Height: 72 cm.; width: 73 cm.
Pompeii, House of the Ancient Hunting,VII 4, 48 tablinum
45 - 79 AD
Naples Museo Archeologico Nazionale, inv. no. 8979
Myths in Naples NAM – The Origins of the Minotaur Myth
The uncontrolled passion of Pasiphae, wife of Minos, towards the bull that Poseidon had sent to Crete led the queen to ask Daedalus, the ingenious inventor and craftsman, to build a wooden heifer so that she could physically join with the sacred beast. From their union the Minotaur was born, then the monstrous creature was locked in the labyrinth, also designed and built by Daedalus.
In the foreground on the left is depicted Pasiphae seated on a throne completed by a footrest. She holds in her right hand a long scepter and looks towards Daedalus who shows her the wooden cow, mounted on a cart with wheels. The queen is richly dressed: she wears gold jewels and a diadem; her clothes consist of a purple overdress from which the yellow chiton bordered by a grey band can be seen. Daedalus, dressed in the short tunic of the workers, held by a fibula on the shoulder, has with him the axe with which he has just finished the work. In the background we can see a tree and a temple in perspective, which place the scene outdoors, differently from what happens in other replicas.
Source: “La Pittura Pompeiana”, Electa - Milano (2009/2014)
Roman fresco
Height: 72 cm.; width: 73 cm.
Pompeii, House of the Ancient Hunting,VII 4, 48 tablinum
45 - 79 AD
Naples Museo Archeologico Nazionale, inv. no. 8979