Prometheus Being Chained by Vulcan

"Prometheus Being Chained by Vulcan" by Dirck van Baburen of the Utrecht School, influenced by Caravaggio, is an example of Baroque chiaroscuro.

The painting represents a tale from Roman mythology. Mercury, the messenger of the gods, watches the club-footed blacksmith god, Vulcan, punish the bold and cunning Titan Prometheus for stealing fire from the gods and giving it to mortals. Prometheus's punishment is to be bound to a rock and to have his liver consumed daily by an eagle.

The painting mysteriously has two signatures: the first is a clear signature below the right-hand shoulder of Prometheus. During a restoration of the painting, a second signature was discovered at the lower left by his hand.Fact|date=February 2007

Prometheus is associated with the Greek creation myth in that, in some versions, he creates humans from clay and the stolen fire is to bring them to life. A painting, "Adam and Eve", also by Baburen, was sold at auction in 1707 together with the "Prometheus Being Chained by Vulcan", and one might conjecture that the two works formed a pair, both being illustrations of creation.Fact|date=February 2007