Ixion 1632

Jusepe de Ribera painted Ixion, now at the Prado, capturing a scene fraught with eternal damnation. Ixion, bound to a wheel, is a potent symbol of hubris punished. The wheel itself—an ancient emblem found in cultures from India to pre-Columbian America—carries the weight of cyclical existence. Here, it represents ceaseless suffering, a motif echoed in other works depicting eternal torment, such as the torture of Tityus or Prometheus. Observe how Ribera renders Ixion’s body, contorted and strained, a mirror of anguish that resonates deeply. The wheel is not merely a torture device, but a symbol of the relentless, subconscious forces that bind us to our fates. This image of Ixion, forever turning, reflects our collective memory of transgression and retribution, a cycle of sin and suffering that continues to resurface in art across the ages.