Scenes from the Story of the Argonauts

In two panels in the Metropolitan Museum, one by Biagio d’Antonio and another by Jacopo del Sellaio, the story of Jason and the Argonauts unfolds in a continuous narrative. In the panel by Biagio d’Antonio, King Aëetes and his daughters Medea and Chalciope meet Jason and his companions. At centre, Jason plows the grove of Ares, where the Golden Fleece is guarded, while Orpheus lulls the dragon to sleep so that Jason may steal the fleece. At right, the King sends his sons off to capture the fleeing Jason and Medea.

The two panels recount episodes from the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece in vivid detail. They have been considered both cassone fronts and spalliere, or wainscoting, panels. Though their dimensions are consistent with those of many cassone panels, they have independent moldings and show none of the damages characteristic of cassone panels and were, therefore, certainly designed to be installed where they would not have been kicked or accessible to children.

There has been almost constant controversy about the panels’ authorship since they appeared on the art market in the first years of the twentieth century. Two panels are not by the same artist; collaboration on series of panels such as these was common practice.