The Daughters of Cecrops Finding the Child Erichthonius

Jordaens employs a robust, Baroque palette characteristic of early 17th‑century Flemish painting. The figures are rendered with vigorous brushwork and a strong chiaroscuro that highlights the tender interaction between the women and the child, reflecting the influence of his contemporary, Peter Paul Rubens.

Created in 1617, the canvas entered the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp, where it remains on display. Jordaens revisited the same subject three decades later, producing a second version now housed in Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum.

The painting belongs to a period when Flemish artists frequently turned to classical sources for subject matter, integrating mythological narratives into domestic and civic settings. Jordaens’ early work demonstrates his engagement with Rubens’ dramatic compositions while beginning to develop his own visual language.