In the case of his 4ft 3in x 21in (1.28m x 53cm) canvas Andromeda he found his literary inspiration in Ovid’s Metamorphoses and his style of painting in the works of Sandro Botticelli.
After her mother Cassiopeia had annoyed Poseidon, by claiming that Andromeda was more beautiful than the Nereids, the sea god had her chained to a rock as a sacrifice for a sea-monster.
This is the scene portrayed by Spencer-Stanhope. It is one of two versions of the subject he executed, the other, with a different background, came under the hammer at Sotheby’s in November 2013. The story of Andromeda had a happy end: Perseus, the son of Zeus, discovered the enchained damsel, slew the monster and took her as his wife.
Karl & Faber in Munich is hoping for an equally successful outcome on June 16, when it offers the painting from a European collection with a guide of €80,000-120,000.
