The Birth of the Milky Way, also known as The Origin of the Milky Way, is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens, produced between 1636 and 1638 and featuring the Greco-Roman myth of the origin of the Milky Way. The painting depicts Hera (Juno), spilling her breast milk, the infant Heracles (Hercules) and Zeus (Jupiter) in the background. Hera/Juno's face is modelled on Rubens's wife, Hélène Fourment. The carriage is pulled by peacocks, a bird which the ancient Greeks and Romans considered sacred to the goddess.
The painting was a part of the commission from Philip IV of Spain to decorate Torre de la Parada. It is now held at the Museo del Prado in Madrid.Painting credit: Peter Paul Rubens