Galatea is often depicted in art as a nude woman riding on the back of a dolphin. Usually, Polyphemus is also present in the scene, sometimes tending to his flocks, sometimes playing a lyre or flute.
The myth of Polyphemus and Galatea does not appear in ancient Greek art, which is sometimes taken to imply that the story was invented by Philoxenus. The earliest surviving representation of the sea nymph is found in a wall painting in the house of Livia, the wife of the Emperor Augustus, on Palatine Hill in Rome. It shows Polyphemus standing in water up to his chest and leaning on a rock, looking dolefully at Galatea. A young Cupid rides on his shoulders, evidently to make fun of the giant’s state of mind. Meanwhile, Galatea rides a hippocampus (a mythical sea horse) in front of Polyphemus, and seems to tease him by showing him her body while staying just outside his reach.
Galatea is represented in many wall paintings, reliefs, and mosaics of the Roman Empire. In particular, there are numerous representations of Galatea in the murals of Pompeii, which was buried by a devastating volcanic eruption in 79 CE. In an interesting wall painting from the nearby town of Herculaneum, Galatea appears modestly dressed in a chiton (a loose, full-length tunic) before a seated Polyphemus.
GALATEA
Above: In this wall painting (1512—1514) by Raphael, Galatea rides in a chariot drawn by a dolphin.
In later art, the motif of Galatea riding the sea alone on a dolphin or on a chariot drawn by sea creatures is quite popular. The stories of Polyphemus and Galatea, and of Acis and Galatea, also continue to be favorite themes. In the early 1500s, Raphael decorated a wall of the Villa Farnesina in Rome with a fresco of Galatea in the sea. Next to it, a work by Sebastiano del Piombo depicts Polyphemus. Annibale Carracci depicted Polyphemus wooing Galatea (1597—1600), while Nicolas Poussin painted two studies of Galatea and Acis (1630 and 1649). In the second study, Polyphemus prowls in the background. He appears as a stern, brooding figure in the painting of Gustave Moreau (about 1880) and as a lovesick colossus in Odilon Redon’s painting. The story of Acis and Galatea is also the theme of several operas, notably Handel’s Acis and Galatea.
Two other women in classical mythology also bear the name Galatea. Neither is connected to the sea nymph. One appears in the story of Pygmalion, a sculptor who became disenchanted by mortal women and so created an image of feminine perfection. When he became enthralled with his own sculpted ideal, Venus answered his prayers and brought the statue to life as Galatea.
The other Galatea is the daughter of Eurytius, who married Lampros and lived in Phaistos on the island of Crete. When she became pregnant, her husband told her that if the child was not a boy she must kill it. When Galatea gave birth to a girl, she passed her off as a boy and gave her the masculine forename Leukippos. When her deception was discovered, Galatea prayed to the goddess Leto to transform Leukippos into a boy. Leto granted her wish and the child was saved.
Feyo Schuddeboom
Bibliography
Hesiod, and M. L. West, trans. Theogony and Works and Days.
New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Ovid, and A. D. Melville, trans. Metamorphoses. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.
World History
