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Rubens and his friend Jan Brueghel collaborated on a number of mythological and religious pictures about 1610-20. This panel is among the most impressive products of their collaboration. Rubens must have determined the overall design and painted all the figures, with Brueghel probably responsible for everthing else in the picture.
The subject is taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses (VIII, lines 547–610), in which Theseus, having conquered the Minotaur of Crete, was returning to Athens with his companions when they arrived at the river Achelous. The river-god invited the heroes to rest in his house, rather than cross the swollen stream, and told them the poignant tale of his love for Perimele. The artists combined Latin learning, athletic nudes (some based on classical sculpture), the wonders of nature, and the wonders of technique into an encyclopedic display meant for a sophisticated collector. Rubens followed the text closely.
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