Unchanged by any teller — how the centuries since have seen Philemon.
The gallery
Philemon and Baucis
Rembrandt van Rijn, 1658
Rembrandt's National Gallery of Art panel sets Zeus and Hermes at the humble table of Philemon and Baucis — the old husband's hospitality rewarded in a glow of Dutch Golden Age light.
Jupiter and Mercury in the House of Philemon and Baucis
Jacob Jordaens, c. 1645
Jordaens fills the cottage with Flemish abundance as the disguised gods accept the old couple's meal — Philemon's poverty turned into festive welcome beside Baucis.
Jupiter and Mercury in the House of Philemon and Baucis
Adam Elsheimer, c. 1609–1610
Elsheimer's small night scene places the gods inside a candlelit hut — Philemon and Baucis's kindness painted as intimate German Baroque drama.