Joachim Wtewael: The Golden Age (1605)

(Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA)

A painting by the Dutch artist Joachim Wtewael (1566-1638). The term "Golden age" refers to the "Ages of Man" as described by Greek writers, especially the Greek poet Hesiod. According to Hesiod there were five ages of man:

- The Golden age: an age of plenty and peace, for the earth gave for all their needs of its own accord and rivalries of any kind were thus unknown. The Golden Age man never aged, and when they died they went as though to sleep. When this age came to an end, its population became guardians of mankind, protecting them from evils and granting them wealth.

- The Silver age: The people lived as children with their mothers for a hundred years. Once they came of age, they lived but a brief time, suffering because of their foolishness. They fought with one another and did not mind the gods. Angry at their impiety, Zeus destroyed the race

- The Bronze age: The Bronze Race was fearsome and warlike. Their weapons were bronze, they lived in bronze houses, and they wore bronze armour. They fell at each other's hands and came to an inglorious end

- The Heroic age: The race of heroes was just and noble. Though demigods, they too fell in war. After death, they were transported to the Isles of the Blessed where they lived a postmortem life of plenty similar to the Golden Age

- The Iron age: The current age. This age is characterized by toil and hardship. Hesiod predicts that Zeus will destroy his race, too, when men are born grey-haired and all moral and religious standards are ignored

Painting from 1605.