Artwork
Cadmus Slaying the Dragon
Cadmus Slaying the Dragon is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Reinhold Timm. It dates from 1615 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
Reinhold Timm’s 1615 oil on canvas, titled *Cadmus Slaying the Dragon*, presents a dramatic encounter drawn from classical mythology. The composition centers on the hero Cadmus, depicted in the act of striking a serpentine monster, while a secondary figure lies motionless beneath the creature. The painting is part of the Statens Museum for Kunst’s collection in Copenhagen.
Subject & Meaning
The work illustrates the legendary episode in which Cadmus, founder of Thebes, defeats a fearsome dragon that guards a sacred spring. By portraying the hero’s decisive blow and the dragon’s contorted form, Timm emphasizes themes of triumph over chaos and the establishment of order through heroic action.
Technique & Style
Timm employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, juxtaposing illuminated bodies against a shadow‑filled backdrop to heighten the sense of movement and tension. The stark lighting isolates the figures, while the tangled anatomy of the dragon and the surrounding skeletal debris convey a turbulent atmosphere characteristic of early Baroque visual drama.
History & Provenance
A native of Denmark, Timm was active in the early seventeenth century and aligned his style with the emerging Italian Baroque. After completing this canvas, he contributed decorative schemes to Rosenborg Castle and, from 1624, taught drawing at Sorø Academy. The painting eventually entered the national collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains on display.
Artist & collection
Artist
Reinhold Timm (died 12 January 1639) was a Danish painter. From 1619 he participated in the decoration in the Long Hall at Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen with 7 or 8 large allegorical paintings of which only one, Unge…
