Prometheus Carrying Fire

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Artist: Jan Cossiers (1600–1671) Title: Prometheus Carrying Fire. Date: 17th century. Medium: Unknown. Dimensions: 182 x 113 cm. Current location: Prado Museum.

This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because it's copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1978 were copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF. Works published before 1923, are now in the public domain.

This image is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris, in this case Jan Cossiers (1600–1671) and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from the last day of that year.

Prometheus, son of the Titan Japetus by the sea nymph Clymene, is the chief "culture hero" of Greek mythology. The mythology of the world reveals a long array of culture heroes, but all copy more or less from the character given to Prometheus. He is the friend and benefactor of mankind. He defends them against Zeus, who, in accordance with a widely diffused mythical theory desires to destroy the human race and supplant them with a new and better species, or who simply revenges a trick in which men got the better of him.

Text credit: Title: Mile-stones of history, literature, travel, mythology, sculpture, and art. Author: Frank McAlpine. Publisher: Elliott & Beezley, 1887. Original from: the New York Public Library. Digitized: Jun 17, 2010. Length: 384 pages. Subjects: Literature.