Jacques Jordaens, Neptune and Amphitrite  

It was considerate of Jordaens to sign and date his painting. Just a shame the last digit has become illegible.  But that doesn't stop Neptune from jetting through the raging sea on his shell chariot. Although there is much more to see.  

You see the god of the sea as you may know him today: an old, bearded man with a trident in his right hand. In his other hand, Neptune firmly holds the reins of two white seahorses. But it's the dolphin at the bottom who steers the shell chariot through the waves.   

Neptune's wife Amphitrite is sitting next to him. There is great passion between the two, as evidenced by a love god blowing on a conch shell at their feet. The Tritons in the foreground are less endearing. These mythological creatures, with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a fish, accompany the tempestuous sea voyage.      

The wind is being blown by the four cherub heads at the top. Neptune had the power to summon and calm storms. In this case, the worst seems to be behind them. A rainbow appears on the horizon and the dark clouds are gradually dissipating.  

Interestingly, the rainbow is missing on a drawing of the finished painting, as are the two strips on the side. Perhaps Jordaens only added them at a later stage. The faded triton blowing his horn on the right side also suggests that he was constantly modifying the painting.  

Sixteen-forty what? Art historian Arnout Balis suspected that the final digit in the year refers to the second half of the 1640s. The Peace of Munster in 1648 at the end of the Thirty Years' War meant that ships could once again sail to the United Provinces of the Netherlands. The boost to Antwerp's economy was possibly Jordaens' inspiration.