POSEIDON

Rupert Bunny, Poseidon and Amphitrite, 1913, The National Gallery of Australia, oil on canvas.

Brianna Eckhardt

        In 1913, Artist Rupert Bunny created a beautiful illustration with oil paint of Poseidon and his wife Amphitrite.  In the painting, Poseidon is shown with his trident traveling alongside Amphitrite through the sea. He is riding a mythical seahorse while Amphitrite is sitting on a shell carried by mermen. These depictions correspond to many different aspects of classic mythology, while they differ from others.

A noticeable item in the painting is Posideon’s trident. This is of great importance as it is a symbol of his power and is mentioned frequently in myth. As seen as early in the myth of The Flood, Poseidon in his Roman form Neptune aided in Jupiter’s plan of punishment. “Neptune himself struck the earth with his trident; it trembled and with the quake laid open paths for the waters”(Morford et al. 100). This action with his trident shows in early mythology what great power he has, and the symbolism of such power with his trident continues through Greek mythology.  

The mythic sea horse that Poseidon is riding atop of also has connections in mythology. Known as the hippocampus, or hippokampoi, these sea horses “were depicted as composite creatures with the head and fore-parts of a horse and the serpentine-tail of a fish”(Hippokampoi). In the painting, Poseidon’s sea horse has the head of a horse while having what appears to be a fish-like tail, along with scales down his side (Bunny). This connection to horses can be related to the myths where Poseidon fathers horses; the first horse, the divine horse Areion, and Pegasus (La Fond, 13:30).

Amphitrite, Poseidon’s wife, is an important nereid, which is a mermaid or sea nymph. She is described as “angry and vengeful”(Morford et al. 165), however she looks at peace in the painting while traveling beside him. This could be representing her attitude in earlier literature where she was laid back about Poseidon mating with other women, while in later literature she was more jealous (La Fond, 9:30). In the painting, she is riding upon a shell carried by mermen. However, she is known to travel “alongside Poseidon in a pearl shell chariot which was pulled by dolphins or travelled on a dolphin's back”(Miate). This description of her can be found in another painting, “Galatea” by Raphaël, in Classical Mythology(Morford et al. 168). Her importance in the sea is clear in both of these representations of her.

        Poseidon himself in the painting is shown as calmly riding alongside his wife. Yet in mythology, he is described as “more severe and rough” and “ferocious”(Morford et al. 166). It is interesting to see this softer side of him with his wife Amphitrite, although how he came to marry her shows more of a persistent side of him. At first when asking her to marry him, Amphitrite refused and fled. Poseidon was determined to win her over, sending her many gifts and still failing. He finally reached out to dolphin Delphinus to speak to her, which led her to him (Miate).  

Bunny captured many representations of mythology in his beautiful painting of Poseidon and Amphitrite. Holding his trident while riding on his mythic sea horse shows how he is truly ruler of the seas. With his wife Amphitrite riding next to him, she holds much importance to the sea and to him. The correlations to mythology are vast and while some differ slightly, most hold true to who Poseidon is known and remembered to be.

Heidi Ahn

Our addition to the CLAS430 Virtual Museum is Rupert Bunny’s artwork and depiction of Poseidon and his wife, Amphitrite. There are limited historical facts and information behind Rupert Bunny’s inspiration for this artwork, and in fact, there is limited narrative about this marriage. This essay will dive into an analysis of this artwork, through a personal perspective, and how this artwork could possibly reflect their relationship, as well as their individual characteristics.

Poseidon was well-known as the lord of the waters, particularly of the sea and sea creatures, as well as the god of the earthquakes (La Fond 09:55-10:01). He was often depicted with a sturdy build and a dark beard, holding his famous trident. It is believed that Poseidon had a weakness for women, and he seduced many nymphs and mortal women. While there’s numerous myths about the sea-god, there’s limited stories about his relationship with Amphitrite. He married the Nereid, and had three children with her: Triton, Rhode, and Benthesicyne. He also had a vast number of children by other divinities and mortal women (Morford et al. 165).

Amphitrite was a goddess-queen of the sea, well-known as the wife of Poseidon. She is the eldest of the fifty Nereids and one of the three most important Nereids (“Amphitrite”). In contrast to other goddesses and stepmothers, Amphitrite was not commonly depicted as a jealous wife, at least in the earlier literatures (La Fond 08:54-09:04). In fact, one of the myths reveals Amphitrite’s warm welcome to one of Poseidon’s illegitimate sons; when Theseus claimed to be Poseidon’s son, Minos threw a precious ring into the sea and challenged him to retrieve it. Theseus immediately dove into the sea and was greeted by Amphitrite, who “received her husband’s illegitimate son kindly and sent him away with magnificent gifts” (Kapach, 2023). However, this does not mean Amphitrite was never a jealous wife; later literature depict her in jealousy towards Poseidon’s other love interests (“Amphitrite”).

Rupert Bunny’s artwork (1913) depicts Poseidon and Amphitrite as the two gods traveling across the sea. The mixture of yellows, purples, and reds of the sky suggests that the sun is setting, and the sea appears to be a dark blue-green with white foam, surrounding the two sea-gods (National Gallery of Australia). Poseidon is often seen to have a strong connection with horses and sea creatures (La Fond 10:09-10:17), as seen within this painting, as he rides his mythical seahorse. He is also carrying his famous trident, while clothed in a dark plum robe. Meanwhile, Amphitrite rides her signature half-clam shell, carried by mermen on their backs. This mode of transportation for Amphitrite shows her power and importance as a Nereid, as she is not a wife dependent on her god-husband for movement. Moreover, the pair seems relaxed in the painting, without haste to a destination.

The most notable myths about Poseidon and Amphitrite are the narratives of how they became a couple. There are a couple of variations of their unification; the first myth explains how Poseidon spotted Amphitrite dancing on Naxons with her sisters. He became smitten and kidnapped and married Amphitrite (Kapach, 2023). The second myth –the more notable and popular myth– reveals that when Poseidon first sought Amphitrite’s hand in marriage, she ran away and hid. Poseidon sent his servants and sea creatures to find Amphitrite. Among them were the dolphin-god, Delphin, who tracked her down and passionately persuaded her to return and marry Poseidon, to which Amphitrite agreed. In appreciation, Poseidon turned the dolphin into a constellation (“Amphitrite”). I believe that within this artwork, Amphitrite looks relaxed, almost even bored, as if she’s not overly interested or in love with Poseidon. However, she does not look like a woman who’s been kidnapped or forced into marriage, and she still has the power in going where she desires, as she’s carried by her mermen in her signature shell, rather than by Poseidon’s servants.

Works Cited

“Amphitrite.” Theoi Project. https://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Amphitrite.html. Accessed 16 February 2025.

Bunny, Rupert. Poseidon and Amphitrite. 1913. National Gallery of Australia, Australia. National Gallery of Australia, https://searchthecollection.nga.gov.au/object/82575. Accessed 15 February 2025.

“Hippokampoi.” Theoli Project. https://www.theoi.com/Ther/Hippokampoi.html. Accessed 21 February 2025.

Kapach, Avi. “Amphitrite.” Mythopedia, 8 March 2023. https://mythopedia.com/topics/amphitrite#. Accessed 16 February 2025.

La Fond, Marie. “Creatures From the Deep: Poseidon and the Sea Divinities.” CLAS 430 A Lesson 3, Video 2, 2025. UW Canvas.

Miate, Liana. “Amphitrite.” World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Amphitrite/ 

Morford, Mark, et al. Classical Mythology. 12th ed., Oxford University Press, 2024.