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Acrisius, king of Argos according to Greek mythology, after being warned by an oracle that a future grandson would kill him, imprisoned him in a tower. Danae, the only daughter he had had with Eurydice. Imprisonment could work against any mortal, but it did nothing to curb the appetite of a sex-addicted god like Zeus. The Jupiter of the Romans, who had seduced by force the nymph Aegina turned into a flame, the princess Europa as a bull, the queen Leda as a swan or Antiope in the form of a satyr, this time he transformed himself into a shower of gold to deflower and impregnate Danae, who would give birth. to light to Perseus.

This myth, cited by some of the greatest classical writers, such as Ovid, Sophocles, Horace and Terence, and represented on ancient coins and ceramics, aroused the interest of Renaissance painters. Titian He represented this scene up to three times, creating paintings that mainly deal with sex and with great erotic content. The first Danae It was made in 1544-45 for the Cardinal Alessandro Farnese and inspired the next two: that of 1553, the first of the “poems” painted by the Italian artist for Philip IIand another from the mid-1560s that was acquired by Velazquez during a trip to Italy in 1629-31.

These last two versions, property of the Wellington collection of London and the Prado Museumcan be seen until July 4 at mythological passions, the temporary exhibition organized by the Spanish art gallery. In both, the Cupid that Titian had used in his work for Farnese was replaced by the servant who guarded Danae in “her chamber made of iron and stone”, according to Ovid, and who, deceived by the god’s disguise, tries to collect the gold that falls from the sky with its apron.

The history of the first of the three canvases already reveals its erotic-sexual intentions, and this despite the fact that they were drawn in a context of growing puritanism caused by the culture of the Counter-Reformation. Although today they hang in the main museums of the world, the “poems” of Titian and many other mythological scenes were originally intended for reserved areas of the elite and to the studios of the artists themselves.

Its recipient was Alessandro Farnese, grandson of Pope Paul III—not to be confused with his nephew. Alexander Farnesethird Duke of Parma and one of the best generals of the Tercios—and there is documentary confirmation that Titian was inspired by a woman of flesh and blood to represent the princess.

“A letter from Archbishop Giovanni della Casa, related to the commissioning of the painting, suggests that Danae was used as a model for a portrait of Farnese’s mistress, a high-end prostitute —a cortigiana— called Angela. In fact, it is possible that the painting began as a portrait of her, naked,” he notes. Alejandro Vergara, head of Conservation of Flamenco Painting and Northern Schools at the Prado Museum and curator of the exhibition, in the exhibition catalogue. This is revealed by X-ray analyzes of the fabric: the Cupid and the golden shower were added in a second phase. “Danae’s story was an appropriate disguise for a prostitute,” adds the expert.

The second of these scenes is part of the six works with a mythological theme that the Italian artist painted for the delight of King Prudente. And what happens to this Danae? Are you also inspired by a real woman? There are theories that suggest this: according to the professor Enrique Martínez Ruiz In his recent biography Philip II (The Sphere of Books), the monarch “wished that the female figures represented the face of Isabel de Osoriohis lover, placing special emphasis on the fact that the first two works were scenes with strong erotic content.” The other painting to which the historian refers is Venus and Adonis (1554), “where the face of young Philip is suggested.”

Consulted by this newspaper, Miguel Falomirdirector of the Prado Museum and also curator of mythological passionsdenies this assumption: “In the same way as in the case of the Danae of Alessandro Farnese there is documentary evidence, this is not the case with the Danae of Philip II”. And he rules out that the Spanish king appears in the only one of the “poems” that the Prado Museum preserves: “They are mere speculations lacking documentary evidence.. Danae’s face, on the other hand, is repeated in other works by Titian unrelated to Philip II.”

Art history, therefore, sheds light on an assumption repeated in numerous texts and studies relating to the figure of King Prudente: the pair of lovers was not represented by the brush of the Italian artist.

Isabel de Osorio is the protagonist of Philip II’s first known love affair. The Castilian lady, born into a rich family, She was lady of the Empress Isabel of Portugal —mother of the then young and adolescent prince— until his death in 1539. From then on he would serve the Infantas María and Juana of Austria. Both met in the city of Toro and established a deep bond that caused numerous gossip in the Court. In fact, according to Enrique Martínez Ruiz, “her relationship with the king was so well known that she no longer wanted to marry.”

When Philip II returned from his trip through Europe between the end of 1548 and the summer of 1551, the lovers would spend time together again. But the romance ended as a result of the monarch’s marriage to the English queen Mary Tudor in 1554. The king did not completely forget about the woman, since in 1557 he granted her two million maravedíes on the rents and terces of the bread of the city of Córdoba. Isabel de Osorio founded a manor in 1562 by acquiring two towns near Burgos from the Treasury Council: Saldañuela and Castelsarrací. Her relationship was used by William of Orange to accuse the Catholic ruler of bigamy in his propaganda campaign.

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