17 Works, January 2nd. is Piero di Cosimo's day, his art, illustrated with footnotes #259

Cosimo Rosselli  (1439–1507) 

Descent from Mount Sinai, circa 1480

Fresco

Height: 350 cm (11.4 ft) Width: 572 cm (18.7 ft)

Sistine Chapel

In the upper part is Moses kneeling on Mount Sinai, with a sleeping Joshua nearby: he receives the Tables of the Law from Yahweh, who appears in a luminescent cloud, surrounded by angels. In the foreground, on the left, Moses brings the Tables to the Israelites. In the background is camp of tents, with the altar of the golden calf in the middle; the Israelites, spurred by Aaron, are adoring it: the position of some of them, painted from behind, was usually used for negative characters, such as Judas Iscariot in the Last Supper. Once seeing that, Moses, in the center, gets angry and breaks the Tables on the ground. The right background depicts the punishment of the idolatrous and the receiving of the new Tables. Joshua, in the blue and yellow, appears with Moses. More on this painting

Piero di Cosimo (2 January 1462[1] – 12 April 1522), also known as Piero di Lorenzo, was an Italian painter of the Renaissance. He is most famous for the mythological and allegorical subjects he painted in the late Quattrocento; he is said to have abandoned these to return to religious subjects under the influence of Savonarola, the preacher who exercised a huge sway in Florence in the 1490s, and had a similar effect on Botticelli. The High Renaissance style of the new century had little influence on him, and he retained the straightforward realism of his figures, which combines with an often whimsical treatment of his subjects to create the distinctive mood of his works.

Piero di Cosimo, 1462-1521

Battle of Lapiths and Centaurs, c. 1490

Panel, 71 x 260 cm

National Gallery, London

The battle depicted takes place between the Lapiths and the Centaurs at the wedding feast of Pirithous. Pirithous, king of the Lapith, had long clashed with the neighboring Centaurs. To mark his good intentions Pirithous invited the Centaurs to his wedding to Hippodamia. Some of the Centaurs, over-imbibed at the event, and when the bride was presented to greet the guests, she so aroused the intoxicated centaur Eurytion that he leapt up and attempted to carry her away. This led not only to an immediate clash, but to a year-long war, before the defeated Centaurs were expelled from Thessaly to the northwest. More on  the Battle of the Centaurs against the Lapiths

Vasari has many stories of his eccentricity, and the mythological subjects have an individual and quirky fascination. He trained under Cosimo Rosselli, whose daughter he married, and assisted him in his Sistine Chapel frescos.

Piero di Cosimo  (1462–1522)

Portrait of Simonetta Vespucci, c. 1490

Tempera on panel

Height: 570 mm (22.44 in); Width: 420 mm (16.53 in)

Condé Museum

This Florentine painting from the Quattrocento is one of the most famous masterpieces of the Condé museum. Painted around 1490, the portrait known as Simonetta Vespucci has never ceased to intrigue art historians. The young and beautiful mistress of Giuliano de Medici, "the idol of Florence", who posed for Botticelli, died of consumption at the age of twenty-three in 1476 and her lover would have had this portrait painted in memory of her. But it is not certain that we are in the presence of the portrait of Simonetta, because the inscription which names her at the bottom of the painting is perhaps later. Moreover, if this portrait represents Simonetta well, it is then a posthumous portrait, because Piero di Cosimo was only fifteen years old when he died.

It could rather be the Cleopatra with the serpent around her neck. However, the iconography does not correspond to Cleopatra, represented with the serpent biting her breast.

The depiction of a woman with a naked bust is unusual for a 15th century portrait. It can also be an ideal portrait, a Neoplatonic allegory of death, symbolized by the serpent which bites its tail, which leads to beauty. The funeral interpretation of the painting is reinforced by the black clouds and the dead tree which appear in front of Simonetta, on the left, while on the right, the trees have leaves and the sky is blue. More on this painting

The son of a goldsmith, Lorenzo di Piero, Piero was born in Florence and apprenticed under the artist Cosimo Rosseli, from whom he derived his popular name and whom he assisted in the painting of the Sistine Chapel in 1481.

Piero di Cosimo, 1462-1521

The Finding of Vulcan on Lemnos, c. 1495-1505

Oil and tempera on canvas

Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford

Vulcan (Greek Hephaestus) in Greek and Roman mythology was the god of fire, and the blacksmith who forged the weapons of many gods and heroes. He was the educator of the primitive man, and taught him the proper use of fire. He was the son of Jupiter and Juno. He was married to Venus who made a cuckold of him. He was crippled as a result of being thrown down to earth from Olympus by Jupiter in a fit of anger.

When Vulcan was thrown down from Olympus, he landed on the island of Lemnos in the Aegean where he was looked after by the inhabitants. He is shown being helped to his feet by one of a band of nymphs. More on this painting

Piero di Cosimo  (1462–1522)

Vulcan and Aeolus, circa 1490

 (or The Return of New Life to Lemnos)

Tempera and oil on canvas

155.5 × 166.5 cm (61.2 × 65.5 in)

National Gallery of Canada

Inspired by Classical authors, Piero imagined the dawn of civilization, when humanity lived in harmony with Nature. The horse has been tamed, metal-working invented, and men build a primitive house from rough tree trunks. It was painted at a time of fascination with the exotic: the figures’ partial nudity, and the giraffe and camel would have suggested other lands and cultures to Piero’s contemporaries. While the setting is fully conceived, the exact subject remains uncertain, but likely shows the story of Vulcan, the blacksmith god, who taught man craft. Frame: carved wood, painted and partly gilded. Italy, late 16th – early 17th century. More on this painting

For ancient Greeks, the island of Lemnos sacred to Hephaestus, god of metallurgy, who—as he tells himself in Iliad I.590ff—fell on Lemnos when Zeus hurled him headlong out of Olympus. There, he was cared for by the Sinties, according to Iliad, or by Thetis, and there with a Thracian nymph Cabiro (a daughter of Proteus) he fathered a tribe called the Kaberoi. Sacred initiatory rites dedicated to them were performed in the island. Its ancient capital was named Hephaistia in the god's honour. More on Lemnos

In the first phase of his career, Piero was influenced by the Netherlandish naturalism of Hugo van der Goes, whose Portinari Triptych (now at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence) helped to lead the whole of Florentine painting into new channels. From him Cosimo acquired the love of landscape and the intimate knowledge of the growth of flowers and of animal life. The manner of Hugo van der Goes is especially apparent in the Adoration of the Shepherds, at the Berlin Museum.

Piero di Cosimo, 1462-1521

Venus, Mars, and Cupid, c. 1505

Oil on panel

72 x 182 cms | 28 1/4 x 71 1/2 ins

Staatliche Museen, Berlin | Germany

Despite the different datings they have been given the two panels (Death of Procris (See below) , and Venus and Mars) may have formed part of a cycle illustrating themes from ancient mythology. The long shape of the panels suggest that they may have decorated a cassone chest.

Another aspect of Piero's artistic personality is his ability to infuse his subjects with wit and fantasy. The subject matter is sensual in nature, with Cupid nestling beside Venus' breast near a long-eared rabbit, a symbol of sexual excess. The black and white birds down below seem to symbolize the lovers, Venus and an exhausted Mars asleep on the ground.

This panel may have been painted as part of a suite of marital furniture, such as a bedstead, hope chest, or frieze. More on this painting

Piero di Cosimo, 1462-1521

The Death of Procris

Oil on panel

65 x 183 cms | 25 1/2 x 72 ins

National Gallery, London | United Kingdom

A nymph lies on a patch of grass in the foreground, blood streaming from wounds on her throat and hand. A satyr, half man and half goat, kneels next to her, mourning her death. A dog sits at her feet, balancing the stooping figure of the satyr and seemingly mourning as well. More dogs appear at the lakeside in the background.

It has been suggested that this painting depicts an episode from the Metamorphoses, an influential poem by the ancient Roman writer Ovid. If this is the case, then the beautiful nymph would be Procris, who was accidentally killed by her husband Cephalus. A fifteenth-century adaptation of the Metamorphoses added the satyr, which is not mentioned by Ovid.

The painting’s dimensions suggest that it was part of furniture or inserted into wooden panelling. Piero di Cosimo specialised in the production of such paintings, known as spalliere. More on this painting

Cephalus was married to Procris, a daughter of Erechtheus, an ancient founding-figure of Athens. One day the goddess of dawn, Eos, kidnapped Cephalus when he was hunting. The resistant Cephalus and Eos became lovers, and she bore him a son. However, Cephalus always pined for Procris, causing a disgruntled Eos to return him to her, making disparaging remarks about his wife's fidelity. 

Once reunited with Procris after an interval of eight years, Cephalus tested her by returning from the hunt in disguise, and managing to seduce her. In shame Procris fled to the forest, to hunt. In returning and reconciling, Procris brought two magical gifts, an inerrant javelin that never missed its mark, and a hunting hound, Laelaps that always caught its prey. The hound met its end chasing a fox (the Teumessian vixen) which could not be caught; both fox and the hound were turned into stone. But the javelin continued to be used by Cephalus, who was an avid hunter.

Procris then conceived doubts about her husband, who left his bride at the bridal chamber and climbed to a mountaintop and sang a hymn invoking Nephele, "cloud". Procris became convinced that he was serenading a lover. She climbed to where he was to spy on him. Cephalus, hearing a stirring in the brush and thinking the noise came from an animal, threw the never-erring javelin in the direction of the sound – and Procris was impaled. As she lay dying in his arms, she told him "On our wedding vows, please never marry Eos". Cephalus was distraught at the death of his beloved Procris, and went into exile. More on Cephalus and Procris

Piero di Cosimo, 1462-1521

Perseus Frees Andromeda, c. 1513

Tempera grassa on wood

70 x 120 cm

Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

In the centre of the composition, Perseus is dealing with the sea monster that is about to attack Andromeda, daughter of the King of Ethiopia, offered as a sacrifice to placate the monster's ire. The monster had been unleashed by Poseidon, angry with the boastful Cassiopeia, Andromeda's mother. Perseus is shown twice more in the painting, when he sees the dragon and the young sacrificial victim, while flying through the skies on his winged sandals, when he celebrates the liberation of Andromeda, who will become his bride. In the composition, the jubilation of Andromeda's father and the laughing crowds, shown on the right, contrasts with the desperation of the family at the destiny of the young princess in the scene on thee left.

The subject of the painting, derived from the Ovid's Metamorphoses illustrates the story of a famous couple from Greek mythology and seems right for the destination of the panel, painted as part of the furnishings for a nuptial room, most likely that of Filippo Strozzi the younger and Clarice de' Medici in Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, on which cabinet maker Baccio d'Agnolo was working in 1510-1511. The artist, Piero di Cosimo, an eccentric, imaginative Florentine painter, working above all to make the narration clean and the improbably musical instruments or eastern costumes of the subjects credible, rather than evoking the drama of the story, also diluted by the reassuring view of the sea in which the enormous monster is swimming, almost bathing in a pond. More on this painting

He journeyed to Rome in 1482 with his master, Rosselli. He proved himself a true child of the Renaissance by depicting subjects of Classical mythology in such pictures as Venus, Mars, and Cupid, The Death of Procris (See above), the Perseus and Andromeda series (See above), at the Uffizi, and many others. Inspired to the Vitruvius' account of the evolution of man, Piero's mythical compositions show the bizarre presence of hybrid forms of men and animals, or the man learning to use fire and tools. The multitudes of nudes in these works shows the influence of Luca Signorelli on Piero's art.

Piero di Cosimo

The Visitation with Saint Nicholas and Saint Anthony Abbot, c. 1489/1490

Oil on panel

184.2 x 188.6 cm (72 1/2 x 74 1/4 in.)

The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

The central scene of the eccentric Florentine artist Piero di Cosimo's Visitation depicts the meeting of the Virgin Mary and the elderly Saint Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. Saint Nicholas on the left, identified by his attribute of three gold balls alluding to his charity towards the daughters of an impoverished nobleman, and Saint Anthony Abbot on the right, identified by his cane, bell and ever-present pig, sit in the foreground as studious witnesses to the event. Additional scenes relating to the birth of Christ are depicted in the background: the Annunciation painted on a distant church wall, the Nativity and Adoration of the Shepherds on the left, and the Massacre of the Innocents in the middle ground. More on this painting

Piero di Cosimo

The Nativity with the Infant Saint John, c. 1495/1505

Oil on canvas

(diameter): 145.7 cm (57 3/8 in.)

The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

In this Nativity, among the largest of Piero’s roundels, was likely intended for devotional use in a private palace or in the more public setting of a local confraternity or guildhall. Mary kneels in adoration of the infant Christ, who rests on a blue mantle, his head supported by a pillow of wheat that evokes the Eucharist. Also present to venerate the incarnate Jesus are an angel and the young John the Baptist, who clutches a reed cross and regards the Christ child with touching solemnity.

Piero’s narrative vision encompasses details sublime and mundane, from the symbolic rose and bud, rocks, and dove beside Christ to the half-ruined stable in the background with its niche of kitchen utensils. Jesus’s father, Joseph, descends the building’s wooden stairs in the cautious manner of an aged man. He is attended by angels bearing flowering branches to celebrate the Child’s birth. In the distance at left, the three Magi traverse a serene landscape whose rolling contours perfectly complement the tondo’s shape. More on this painting

Piero di Cosimo (Italian, Florence 1462–1522 Florence)

The Young Saint John the Baptist, ca. 1480–82

Tempera and oil on wood

11 1/2 x 9 1/4 in. (29.2 x 23.5 cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Saint John the Baptist is one of the patron saints of Florence, where representations of him as a youth enjoyed a special popularity in the fifteenth century. In its format and profile depiction of the saint, this picture resembles contemporary marble reliefs, but the soft modeling reflects Piero's awareness of Netherlandish painting. More on this painting

John the Baptist (sometimes called John in the Wilderness; also referred to as the Angel of the Desert) was the subject of at least eight paintings by the Italian Baroque artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610).

 

The story of John the Baptist is told in the Gospels. John was the cousin of Jesus, and his calling was to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. He lived in the wilderness of Judea between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, "his raiment of camel's hair, and a leather girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey." He baptised Jesus in the Jordan.

According to the Bible, King Herod's daughter Salome requested Saint John the Baptist's beheading. She was prompted by her mother, Herodias, who sought revenge, because the prophet had condemned her incestuous marriage to Herod. More John the Baptist

Piero di Cosimo, 1462-1521

Madonna and Child Enthroned with Sts. Peter, John the Baptist, Dominic, and Nicholas of Bari

Tempera and oil on panel

69 3/4 in. x 47 in. x 5 in. (177.2 x 119.4 x 12.7 cm)

Saint Louis Art Museum

In a lifelike rendering, this large panel portrays a sacra conversazione (holy conversation) where saints surround the Madonna and Child in a unified pictorial space. Piero di Cosimo’s approach is far removed from the compartmentalized divisions in Lorenzo di Nicolo’s altarpiece elsewhere in this gallery. Here, Saint Peter presents the kneeling Saint Dominic (left) while Saint John the Baptist announces Christ’s ministry, and Saint Nicholas kneels in devotion (right). The three smaller panels, called a predella, depict scenes from the lives of Saints Dominic, John, and Nicholas. The Pugliese coat of arms adorns the frame, identifying the Florentine family who commissioned the work for its private chapel. More on this painting

Piero di Cosimo, 1462-1521

St Mary Magdalene, c. 1490-95

Tempera on panel

72 x 53 cm

Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome

St Mary Magdalene is identified by her profile and the halo, her long hair and jar of ointment. The jar alludes to the visit of the Magdalene and the pious women to the sepulcher on Easter morning. Having reached the place where the body of Jesus would be embalmed with perfumed oils, they found the sepulcher empty and were the first to bear witness to the Resurrection. The long hair with which the Magdalene is generally depicted actually derives from an erroneous interpretation of the Gospel, arising from a confusion between the Magdalene with the nameless prostitute who, repenting of her sins, shed tears on Jesus's feet and dried them with her own hair.

Piero di Cosimo's painting, however, includes details that go beyond the traditional depiction of the saint, drawing on the artist's own time: the style of her dress, the open book and the lady's pose, like the architecture framing her, draw directly on the portraiture of the 1400s. In fact, it cannot be excluded that the painting may actually have been commissioned by or for a lady named Maddalena, who wished to be portrayed as the saint whose name she bore.

The painting is notable for its extremely refined execution, particularly striking in the pictorial surface and definition of the details. In these ways, Piero di Cosimo reveals his profound understanding and appreciation of the formal values of Flemish painting. More on this painting

During his lifetime, Piero acquired a reputation for eccentricity—a reputation enhanced and exaggerated by later commentators. Reportedly, he was frightened of thunderstorms, and so pyrophobic that he rarely cooked his food; he lived on a diet of hard-boiled eggs, which he prepared 50 at a time while boiling glue for his artworks. He also resisted any cleaning of his studio, or trimming of the fruit trees of his orchard; he lived, wrote Vasari, "more like a beast than a man".

If, as Vasari asserts, he spent the last years of his life in gloomy retirement, the change was probably due to preacher Girolamo Savonarola, under whose influence he turned his attention once more to religious art. The death of his master Roselli may also have affected Piero's morose elder years. The Immaculate Conception with Saints, at the Uffizi, and the Holy Family, at Dresden, illustrate the religious fervour to which he was stimulated by Savonarola.

Piero di Cosimo (Italian, Florence 1462–1522 Florence)

A Hunting Scene, ca. 1494–1500

Tempera and oil transferred to Masonite

27 3/4 x 66 3/4 in. (70.5 x 169.5 cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

This picture and its companion (also in The Met's collection) (See below) reimagine the early history of humankind and are among the most singular works of the Renaissance. Their inspiration was the fifth book of De Rerum Natura by the Epicurean poet and philosopher Lucretius (ca. 99–55 B.C.). A manuscript of Lucretius’s work was discovered in 1417 and published in Florence in 1471–73. Lucretius believed that the workings of the world can be accounted for by natural rather than divine causes, and he put forward a vision of the history of primitive humanity and the advent of civilization that was much discussed in Renaissance Florence—and beyond. More on this painting

Piero di Cosimo (Italian, Florence 1462–1522 Florence)

The Return from the Hunt, ca. 1494–1500

Tempera and oil on wood

27 3/4 x 66 1/2 in. (70.5 x 168.9 cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

This picture and its companion (also in The Met's collection) (See above) reimagine the early history of humankind and are among the most singular works of the Renaissance. Their inspiration was the fifth book of De Rerum Natura by the Epicurean poet and philosopher Lucretius (ca. 99–55 B.C.). A manuscript of Lucretius’s work was discovered in 1417 and published in Florence in 1471–73. Lucretius believed that the workings of the world can be accounted for by natural rather than divine causes, and he put forward a vision of the history of primitive humanity and the advent of civilization that was much discussed in Renaissance Florence—and beyond. More on this painting

With the exception of the landscape background in Rosselli's fresco of the Sermon on the Mount, in the Sistine Chapel, there is no record of any fresco work from his brush. On the other hand, Piero enjoyed a great reputation as a portrait painter: the most famous of his work is in fact the portrait of a Florentine noblewoman, Simonetta Vespucci (See above), mistress of Giuliano de' Medici. According to Vasari, Piero excelled in designing pageants and triumphal processions for the pleasure-loving youths of Florence, and gives a vivid description of one such procession at the end of the carnival of 1507, which illustrated the triumph of death. Piero di Cosimo exercised considerable influence upon his fellow pupils Albertinelli and Bartolomeo della Porta, and was the master of Andrea del Sarto.

Piero di Cosimo (Italian, 1462–1522)

The Discovery of Honey by Bacchus, c. about 1499

Oil on panel

79.2 x 128.4 cm (31 3/16 x 50 9/16 in.)

Worcester Art Museum

In this allegorical setting the mythological figures of Bacchus and Ariadne, in the right foreground, are accompanied by satyrs and maenads who make noise to attract a swarm of bees to settle in a hollow tree. The result is the discovery of honey, considered a step forward in the history of civilization which is symbolized in the background by the juxtaposition of an idyllic view of a town (on the left) and a wild and forbidding landscape (on the right). More on this painting

Piero di Cosimo

The Misfortunes of Silenus, c. 1500

Oil on panel

80.1 x 129.3 cm (31 9/16 x 50 7/8 in.)

Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University

This panel, along with a companion showing the Discovery of Honey, was probably commissioned as a nuptial gift to adorn the bedchamber in the Florentine palace of Giovanni Vespucci and his bride; both panels are described by the artist and biographer Giorgio Vasari in his Life of Piero di Cosimo. Wasps (vespe in Italian) adorned the family’s coats of arms, and the scenes were certainly chosen as humorous but cautionary tales for the newlyweds. The story is based on passages from Ovid’s Fasti, where Silenus, looking for honey, climbs on the back of his donkey to reach into the hollow of a tree. Inside, he discovers a wasp’s nest, setting off a series of misfortunes: the branch on which he was leaning breaks, and he falls from his donkey, is kicked by an ass, and is stung by the wasps he disturbed. At the left of this panel, Bacchus and Ariadne watch as Silenus’s stings are treated with mud. 

The paintings in the Worcester and Harvard Art Museums shared a common provenance until the “Discovery of Honey” (See above) was sold in 1937 to the Worcester Art Museum and the “Misfortunes of Silenus” was sold in 1940 to the Fogg Art Museum. The Fogg Art Museum purchased the painting directly from Mrs. Douglas. More on this painting

Vasari gave Piero's date of death as 1521, and this date is still repeated by many sources, including the Encyclopædia Britannica. However, contemporary documents reveal that he died of plague on 12 April 1522. He is featured in George Eliot's novel Romola. More on Piero di Cosimo

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14 Works, November 26th. is Antonio Carneo's day, his art, illustrated with footnotes #241

Carneo Antonio

Proof of poison, c. 1670-1680

Oil on canvas

175 x 178 cm

Ado Furlan Foundation

Depicting a young man who compresses his bowels in the presence of a group of bystanders who follow his spasms with apprehension or try to help him, it is described ab antiquo with the title with which it is still remembered today. However, since it is difficult to represent a generic poisoning scene (provoked or self-induced), one wonders whether the artist did not want to illustrate a specific character in the episode in question. Among the proposals advanced by scholars, that of the young Mithridates who undergoes the poison test in order to immunize himself remains one of the most plausible. More on this painting

Mithridates VI Eupator of Pontus (b. c. 134 BC) ruled a Black Sea Empire to rival the Roman Republic in a series of wars that lasted decades. As Rome’s most dangerous enemy until his death in 63 BC, Mithridates is recognized as the first experimental toxicologist for his extensive investigations into a vast number of poisons and antidotes. Fearing assassination by poison, he gathered a team of botanists, physicians, and shamans seeking to create a “universal antidote” that would protect him from all poisons. Influenced by traditional theriacs and previous investigators and with access to rich natural resources, Mithridates’ experiments resulted in a formulation of more than 50 ingredients combining animal, plant, and mineral toxins with antidotes. He made himself immune to normally fatal amounts of arsenic and enjoyed robust health until forced to commit suicide in his 70s. Efforts to replicate his famous Mithridatium made his antidote the most popular and long-lived prescription in history. More on Mithridates VI

Antonio Carneo (1637–1692) was an Italian painter, active in Friuli and Venice, and depicting both mythologic, allegoric, and religious canvases, as well as portraits.

Antonio Carneo (1637–1692) (attributed to)

Venus, Vulcan and Cupid

Oil on canvas

H 103.5 x W 139.4 cm

The Bowes Museum

The subject of this painting has not been securely identified. The elderly man could be Vulcan, Venus's husband, to whom she presents her baby son Cupid. The figures of the young woman and the child reveal the influence of Venetian painting. They are represented by means of soft, fluid brushstrokes and a warm, light palette. The naturalism and the contrasting light, which defines the figures of the man and the elderly woman in the background, can be associated with the Caravaggesque tradition, under whose influence Antonio Carneo worked during the years he spent in Udine between 1660 and 1689. More on this painting

He was born in Concordia Sagittaria, and trained under his father as a painter. He was active for many years in Portogruaro. Other sources cite him as a pupil of Giovanni Giuseppe Cosattini (1625-1699) in Udine, but his paintings appear best to model Tintoretto and Paolo Veronese.

Antonio Carneo  (1637–1692)

The Death of Lucretia, c. second half of 17th century

Oil on canvas

Height: 99 cm (38.9 in); Width: 82.5 cm (32.4 in)

National Museum in Warsaw

Lucretia, legendary heroine of ancient Rome. According to tradition, she was the beautiful and virtuous wife of the nobleman Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus. Her tragedy began when she was raped by Sextus Tarquinius, son of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the tyrannical Etruscan king of Rome. After exacting an oath of vengeance against the Tarquins from her father and her husband, she stabbed herself to death. Lucius Junius Brutus then led the enraged populace in a rebellion that drove the Tarquins from Rome. The event (traditionally dated 509 BCE) marks the foundation of the Roman Republic. The story is first found in the work of the earliest Roman historian, Fabius Pictor (late 3rd century BCE). Its classic form is Livy’s version (late 1st century BCE). Lucretia’s story is also recounted in Shakespeare’s narrative poem The Rape of Lucrece. More on Lucretia

Antonio Carneo, Concordia Sagittaria, Italy, 1637 - 1692, Portogruaro, Italy

The Death of Rachel

Oil on canvas

81.3 cm x 106.7 cm (32 in. x 42 in.)

Blanton Museum of Art

Genesis 35: The Death of Rachel: Despite God’s admonition to remain at Bethel, a few verses later, Jacob and his entourage are on the move. While still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel goes into labor. This is the first indication that she is pregnant. The text states that the labor is hard; the birth is difficult. The midwife comforts and encourages her by saying she is having a son. The child is born, and with her dying breath, Rachel names him Benoni, which means “son of my misfortune” or “son of my sorrow.” This is the woman who once had said she would die if she didn’t have sons. Now she is dying because she is giving birth to a son. The irony hurts. She lives only long enough to give him a name. More on The Death of Rachel

Antonio Carneo, Concordia Sagittaria, Italy, 1637 - 1692, Portogruaro, Italy

Cleopatra

Oil on canvas

112 × 92 cm

Szépművészeti Múzeum

Cleopatra VII Philopator (69 – August 12, 30 BC), was the last active pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt, briefly survived as pharaoh by her son Caesarion. After her reign, Egypt became a province of the recently established Roman Empire.

Cleopatra was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, a family of Macedonian Greek origin that ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great's death. The Ptolemies spoke Greek throughout their dynasty, and refused to speak Egyptian, which is the reason that Greek as well as Egyptian languages were used on official court documents such as the Rosetta Stone. By contrast, Cleopatra did learn to speak Egyptian and represented herself as the reincarnation of the Egyptian goddess Isis.

Cleopatra originally ruled jointly with her father Ptolemy XII Auletes, and later with her brothers Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV, whom she married as per Egyptian custom, but eventually she became sole ruler. As pharaoh, she consummated a liaison with Julius Caesar that solidified her grip on the throne.

After Caesar's assassination in 44 BC, she aligned with Mark Antony in opposition to Caesar's legal heir Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (later known as Augustus). With Antony, she bore the twins Cleopatra Selene II and Alexander Helio. Antony committed suicide after losing the Battle of Actium to Octavian's forces, and Cleopatra followed suit. According to tradition, she killed herself by means of an asp bite on August 12, 30 BC. More on Cleopatra

Circle of Antonio Carneo Concordia Sagittaria 1637-1692 Portogruaro

Rebecca at the Well

Oil on canvas

29¼ x 41¾ in. 74.3 x 108.6 cm.

Private collection

Abraham went about finding a wife for his son Isaac. He commanded his servant to journey to his birthplace of Aram Naharaim to select a bride from his own family, rather than engage Isaac to a local Canaanite girl. Abraham sent along expensive jewelry, clothing and dainties as gifts to the bride and her family. 

The servant devised a test in order to find the right wife for Isaac. As he stood at the central well in Abraham's birthplace with his men and ten camels laden with goods, he prayed to God: "And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also" — Genesis 24:14

To his surprise, a young girl immediately came out and offered to draw water for him to drink, as well as water to fill the troughs for all his camels. Rebecca continued to draw water until all the camels were sated, proving her kind and generous nature and her suitability for entering Abraham's household. The servant immediately gave her a golden nose ring and two golden bracelets. After hosting the party overnight, however, the family tried to keep Rebecca with them longer. The servant insisted that they ask the girl herself, and she agreed to go immediately.

As Rebecca and her entourage approached Abraham's home, they spied Isaac from a distance in the fields praying. Seeing such a spiritually exalted man, Rebecca immediately dismounted from her camel and asked the accompanying servant who he was. When she heard that this was her future husband, she modestly covered herself with a veil. Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, married her, and loved her. More on Rebecca

Attributed to Antonio Carneo (1637 Concordia Sagittaria - 1692 Portogruaro)

Rebecca and Eliezer at the Well

Oil on canvas

75 x 95 cm

Private collection

Circle of Antonio Carneo Concordia Sagittaria 1637-1692 Portogruaro

Samson and Delilah

Oil on canvas

120.5 by 93.5 cm.; 47 1/2 by 36 3/4 in.

Private collection

Samson  is one of the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. According to the biblical account, Samson was given supernatural strength by God in order to combat his enemies and perform heroic feats. Samson had two vulnerabilities—his attraction to untrustworthy women and his hair, without which he was powerless. These vulnerabilities ultimately proved fatal for him.

 

Samson eventually fell in love with a woman named Delilah. The Philistines bribed Delilah with 1,100 silver pieces from each of the Philistine leaders, to get her to figure out the secret of Samson's strength and tell them. 

 

After asking him several times what the secret to his strength is: "Finally he disclosed to her all his heart and said to her: 'A razor has never come upon my head, because I am a Naz′i·rite of God from my mother’s belly. If I did get shaved, my power also would certainly depart from me, and I should indeed grow weak and become like all other men.'" 

 

She relayed this to the Philistine axis lords, got Samson to fall asleep, and while he was sleeping, had his head shaved. The Philistines then took him captive, put out both his eyes, and made him their slave. 

 

One day as they are having a great party to worship their false god Dagon, the Philistines bring Samson out so they can make fun of him. By that time, Samson's hair has grown out again. Samson has a young boy lead him to the pillars that hold the building up, prays to Jehovah for strength, takes hold of the pillars, and cries out: "Let my soul die with the Philistines."

 

There are 3,000 Philistines on the roof of the building alone, and many more inside (the axis lords are all there as well), and when Samson pushes against the pillars, the building falls down and kills all of them, including Samson. More Samson

Antonio Carneo, Concordia Sagittaria, Italy, 1637 - 1692, Portogruaro, Italy

The Holy Family

Oil on canvas

79 x 75 cm

Private collection

The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Joseph. Veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de Laval, the first bishop of New France, who founded a Confraternity.

Matthew and Luke narrate the episodes from this period of Christ's life, namely his Circumcision and later Presentation, the Flight to Egypt, the return to Nazareth, and the Finding in the Temple.[Joseph and Mary were apparently observant Jews, as Luke narrates that they brought Jesus with them on the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem with other Jewish families. More on The Holy Family

Antonio Carneo, Concordia Sagittaria, Italy, 1637 - 1692, Portogruaro, Italy

Christ and the Adulteress

oil on canvas

115.5 x 147.5 cm

Private collection

In the passage, Jesus was teaching in the Second Temple after coming from the Mount of Olives. A group of scribes and Pharisees confronts Jesus, interrupting his teaching. They bring in a woman, accusing her of committing adultery, claiming she was caught in the very act. They tell Jesus that the punishment for someone like her should be stoning, as prescribed by Mosaic Law.[1] Jesus begins to write something on the ground using his finger. But when the woman's accusers continue their challenge, he states that the one who is without sin is the one who should cast the first stone at her. The accusers and congregants depart, realizing not one of them is without sin either, leaving Jesus alone with the woman. Jesus asks the woman if anyone has condemned her and she answers no. Jesus says that he, too, does not condemn her, and tells her to go and sin no more. More on Christ and the Adulteress

Antonio Carneo, Concordia Sagittaria, Italy, 1637 - 1692, Portogruaro, Italy

Dead Christ held by two angels

Oil on canvas

110 x 94 cm. (43¼ x 37 in.)

Private collection

Antonio Carneo, Concordia Sagittaria, Italy, 1637 - 1692, Portogruaro, Italy

The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian

With Saint Roch and an Angel in the background,

Oil on canvas

171.5 x 114.5 cm, 

Private collection

Saint Sebastian (died c. 288 AD) was an early Christian saint and martyr. Sebastian had prudently concealed his faith, but in 286 was detected. Diocletian reproached him for his betrayal, and he commanded him to be led to a field and there to be bound to a stake so that archers from Mauritania would shoot arrows at him. "And the archers shot at him till he was as full of arrows as an urchin is full of pricks, and thus left him there for dead." Miraculously, the arrows did not kill him.

Sebastian later stood by a staircase where the emperor was to pass and harangued Diocletian for his cruelties against Christians. This freedom of speech, and from a person whom he supposed to have been dead, greatly astonished the emperor; but, recovering from his surprise, he gave orders for his being seized and beat to death with cudgels, and his body thrown into the common sewer. A pious lady, called Lucina, admonished by the martyr in a vision, got it privately removed, and buried it in the catacombs at the entrance of the cemetery of Calixtus, where now stands the Basilica of St. Sebastian. More St. Sebastian

The present painting relates to a panel of the Averoldi Altarpiece by Titian from the 1520s in the Collegiata dei Santi Nazaro e Celso in Brescia. The figure of Saint Sebastian is reproduced fairly accurately, but in the rendering of the landscape there are differences from Titian’s original. More on this painting

Antonio Carneo

Episode from the life of Sant Antonio Abate

Oil on canvas, unframed

202 x 221 cm.

Private collection

Antonio abate is one of the most illustrious hermits in the history of the Church. Born in Coma, in the heart of Egypt, around 250, at the age of twenty he abandoned everything to live first in a deserted land and then on the shores of the Red Sea, where he led an anacoretic life for more than 80 years: he died, in fact, over a hundred years old in 356. Already in his life, pilgrims and needy people from all over the East flocked to him, attracted by the fame of holiness. Constantine and his sons also sought his advice. His story is told by a disciple, Saint Athanasius, who helped to make his example known throughout the Church. More on Antonio abate

He worked in eastern Veneto and Friuli , especially in Udine , where he was hosted for more than twenty years by Count Leonardo and Giovanni Battista Caiselli and for which he created numerous paintings. According to Guarienti's testimony, though his father was his first teacher, he would  later perfected himself in the diligent study of Venetian masters in the sixteenth century. An admirer of Flemish models, their "darkness" and their naturalistic accents, and the works of Bernardo Strozzi and Luca Giordano , he was appreciated for the natural chromaticism of the paintings. Its for the mix of realistic figurative patterns and rustic tastes, for the swirling and imaginative butterfly penetration.

Antonio Carneo

The Temperance

Oil on canvas

cm 73x61

Private collection

Temperance (XIV) is the fourteenth trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks. It is used in game playing as well as in divination.

Temperance (Italian: La Temperanza) appears in the oldest Italian decks where it is numbered VI or VII. In the Tarot de Marseille and in most contemporary decks the card is numbered XIV. In the Thoth Tarot and decks influenced by it, this card is called Art rather than Temperance.

A woman mixing water into wine was a standard allegory of Temperance in European iconography. 

Temperance is almost invariably depicted as a person pouring liquid from one receptacle into another. Historically, this was a standard symbol of the virtue temperance, one of the cardinal virtues, representing the dilution of wine with water. In many decks, the person is a winged angel, usually female or androgynous, and stands with one foot on water and one foot on land. More on The Temperance 

In Portogruaro, he painted an altarpiece depicting the Charity of St Thomas of Villanova for the church of Santa Lucia. In the town castle chapel, he painted a Christ and saints. For the other rooms he painted the Redeemer with St Marck and donors and a St Peter Martyr. He painted a Last Supper for the town convent. For the church of San Rocco, he painted the main altarpiece depicting St Francis and companions. In 1604, he painted four altarpieces for the church of San Francesco.

There was another painter Giacomo Carneo subsequently active in Friuli. More on Antonio Carneo

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19 Works, November 19th. is Louis de Boullogne's day, his art, illustrated with footnotes #237

Louis Boullogne the Younger

Apollo and Daphne

Oil on canvas

h: 75,50 w: 139 cm

Private collection

This painting illustrates an episode taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses (I, 464-577). Falling in love with the nymph Daphne, determined to remain chaste, Apollo pursues her in the woods. Begging her father, the river god Peneus, to deliver her, Daphne is then transformed into a laurel. Louis de Boullogne produced a first illustration of the theme, probably in the 1680s. This painting has recently reappeared on the art market. More on this painting

Louis de Boullogne II (19 November 1654 – 2 November 1733), known as Boullogne fils, was a French painter.

Boullogne was born and died in Paris, and was the brother of Bon Boullogne. Their father, Louis Boullogne, feared rivalry between the two brothers if Louis the younger became a painter and so at first opposed his wish to do so. However, his vocation finally won through and every evening Louis crossed Paris to go with Bon to draw at the Académie. Aged 18 he won the grand prix de peinture and left for Rome in 1676, when his brother returned from there. He made copies after The School of Athens, Disputation of the Holy Sacrament and many other works by Raphael, from which the Gobelins made many different tapestries for the French king.

Louis Boullogne the Younger, 1654-1733, French

Augustus Orders the Closing of the Doors of the Temple of Janus, ca. 1681

Oil on canvas

72.4 x 58.4 cm (28 1/2 x 23 inches)

I have no further description, at this time

This painting depicts a scene of great importance from the history of ancient Rome. Near the center of the painting, the red-cloaked figure can be identified as the great-nephew (and later adopted son) of Julius Caesar. After Ceasar’s death on the Ides of March, 44 BCE, this adopted relative—known then as Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (now usually shortened to ‘Octavian’)—seized power in Rome by 43 BCE through a triumvirate pact with Mark Antony and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus.

At first the triumvirs were content to work together to massacre their mutual enemies and threats, but rivalry and hunger for power eventually led the triumvirs into conflict. Lepidus, always the weakest link of the three, was forced out of the partnership at about 36 BCE. Around 32 BCE, Octavian declared war on Queen Cleopatra of Egypt (Mark Antony’s lover and ally). Antony and Cleopatra stood no chance against Octavian’s brilliant admiral, Marcus Agrippa, who had the ill-fated couple defeated and cornered by 30 BCE. Knowing they could not win or escape, Antony and Cleopatra took their own lives, leaving Octavian as the sole authoritarian ruler of the Roman empire. These historical details serve as an epilogue to Louis Boullogne the Younger’s painting.

Back in Rome,the Janus Geminus temple, which was dedicated to the Roman deity, Janus—an enigmatic god of doors and doorways. The Romans were said to have kept the doors of the temple open whenever the state was at war. and as the Romans seemed to always be expanding and battling, the doors of the Janus Geminus remained open for the vast majority of Rome’s existence. 

Nevertheless, there were an anomalous few times when the temple doors were shut, and Octavian was one such man who could achieve this rare feat. This event, which occurred after Octavian’s triumphal return to Rome following his defeat of Antony and Cleopatra, was described by the Roman historian Cassius Dio, who wrote, “the action which gave him more pleasure than all these honours was the formal closing by the Senate of the gates of the temple of Janus, which signified that the Roman people’s wars were at an end…”. It is this rare event that Louis Boullogne the Younger strove to re-create in paint. More on Augustus closing the doors to the temple of Janus

Returning through Lombardy and Venice in 1680, Louis returned to Paris and soon won a great reputation. In 1681 he was received as a member of the Académie : his reception piece showed Augustus closing the doors to the temple of Janus, after the battle of Actium (See above) . On 3 February 1688 he married Marguerite Bacquet. 

Louis de Boullogne  (1654–1733)

Juno asking Aeolus to release the winds, c. 1727

Oil on canvas

Height: 105 cm (41.3 in); Width: 137.2 cm (54 in)

National Museum in Warsaw 

A performance based on the story described by Virgil in  Aeneid (I, 93-108 (65-77)) of the arrival to Lazio of Aeneas and his companions, whom Juno wanted to stop, asking the king of Aeolus to release the winds from the dungeons and send them to the sea against the Trojan ships . In return for this favor, she promised him a marriage to Dejopea, the most beautiful of the 14 nymphs in her retinue. This episode is the subject of the painting.

Aeolian with a scepter in hand is sitting on a rock, and below there is a winged figure of one of the winds emerging from the cave. Juno, with a peacock by his side, gestures towards Dejopea with a gesture of recommendation, surrounded by other nymphs. More on this painting

Louis de Boullogne  (1654–1733)

Triumph of Galatea

Oil on canvas

Height: 72 cm (28.3 in); Width: 103 cm (40.5 in)

Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg

Galatea; "she who is milk-white", was a sea-nymph, the fairest and most beloved of the 50 Nereids. In Ovid's Metamorphoses she appears as the beloved of Acis. When a jealous rival, the Sicilian Cyclops Polyphemus, killed him with a boulder, Galatea then turned his blood into the Sicilian River Acis, of which he became the spirit. According to Athenaeus, the story was first concocted by Philoxenus of Cythera as a political satire against the Sicilian tyrant Dionysius I of Syracuse, whose favourite concubine, Galatea, shared her name with the nymph. Others claim the story was invented to explain the presence of a shrine dedicated to Galatea on Mount Etna. More on Galatea

We see on the left the Cyclops Polyphemus who fell in love with Galatea represented triumphant on the seas, on a conch pulled by a dolphin and surrounded by naiads, putti and newts. The artist has chosen not to represent Acis, Polyphemus' unhappy rival. At the beginning of the XVI E century Raphaël had given the canonical version to the Villa Farnésine. More on this painting

François Boucher (1703–1770)

The Rape of Europa, c.1732–c.1734

Oil on canvas

H 230.8 x W 273.5 cm

The Wallace Collection

Ovid’s 'Metamorphoses' (II, 835–875) tells of the abduction of Europa by Jupiter, disguised as a bull. Charmed by the bull’s good nature, Europa climbed on his back, whereupon he bore her off into the waves, only stopping on Crete to ravish her. Boucher typically concentrates on the gallant aspects of the scene, eschewing any reference to the story’s violent dénouement. The picture, with its profusion of flowers, represented Smell in a series of five monumental canvases symbolizing the Senses. Painted without fee for the lawyer Derbais, the canvases greatly impressed contemporaries, establishing the young artist’s reputation as one of the leading decorative painters of eighteenth-century Paris. More on this painting

Boullogne, Louis II de, dit Le Jeune dit also, Le Jeune (Paris, 1654 - Paris, 1733)

The Abduction of Europa (or Jupiter transformed into a bull)

Oil on canvas

Height: 1.78 m; Width: 1.63 m

Louvre Museum

In Greek mythology Europa was the mother of King Minos of Crete, a woman with Phoenician origin of high lineage, and for whom the continent Europe was named. The story of her abduction by Zeus in the form of a white bull was a Cretan story; as classicist Károly Kerényi points out, "most of the love-stories concerning Zeus originated from more ancient tales describing his marriages with goddesses. This can especially be said of the story of Europa".

 

The mythographers tell that Zeus was enamored of Europa and decided to seduce or ravish her. He transformed himself into a tame white bull and mixed in with her father's herds. While Europa and her helpers were gathering flowers, she saw the bull, caressed his flanks, and eventually got onto his back. Zeus took that opportunity and ran to the sea and swam, with her on his back, to the island of Crete. He then revealed his true identity, and Europa became the first queen of Crete. More on Europa

Boullogne, Louis II de, dit Le Jeune dit also, Le Jeune (Paris, 1654 - Paris, 1733)

Apollo and Daphne, c. 1677

Oil on canvas

Height: 1.58 m; Width: 1.2m

Louvre Museum

Apollo and Daphne is a story from ancient Greek mythology, retold by Hellenistic and Roman authors in the form of an amorous vignette.

Apollo, the Greek god of music, poetry, art, the sun, and a great warrior, mocked the god of love, Eros, for his use of bow and arrow, as Apollo is also patron of archery.

The insulted Eros then prepared two arrows: one of gold and one of lead. He shot Apollo with the gold arrow, instilling in the god a passionate love for the river nymph Daphne. He shot Daphne with the lead arrow, instilling in her a hatred for Apollo. More on Apollo and Daphne

François Boucher (1703–1770)

Venus and Vulcan, c. 1754

Oil on canvas

H 164.5 x W 71.5 cm

The Wallace Collection

The first painting in a set of three pictures depicts Venus with her husband Vulcan, the god of fire and smith and armourer of the gods. The scene is set in a forge, with Cupid sharpening his arrows on Vulcan’s anvil, while the god is distracted by his wife. Venus seduced her husband, with whom she was not always on the best of terms, in order to persuade him to forge arms for her mortal son Aeneas. All three pictures were probably enlarged in the nineteenth century to match the size of a fourth picture, and then mounted on a screen which appeared in the Prousteau de Montlouis sale in 1851. The set was held in high regard at the time of its purchase by the 4th Marquess of Hertford, when the critic Thoré-Bürger believed them to be the most beautiful Bouchers in the world. More on this painting

François Boucher (1703–1770)

Cupid a Captive, probably c.1754

Oil on canvas

H 164.5 x W 84.5 cm

The Wallace Collection

Anacreon’s Ode XXX, 'Love Captive', relates how, when captured and bound with flowers by the Muses, Cupid, ‘becoming accustomed to his sweet captivity, preferred servitude to the charms of freedom’, so that even Venus herself was unable to tempt him away from his charming captors. Although undated, Cupid a Captive was probably painted at about the same time as the other three vertical mythological panels by Boucher in The Wallace Collection, c.1754. Together with the three panels, 'Cupid a Captive' was incorporated into a screen and sold at the Prousteau de Montlouis sale in 1851. Its subject, however, does not conform to the Venus imagery of the other three pictures. The handling and composition are different and recent cleaning of the other works has revealed that 'Cupid a Captive' was originally conceived on a slightly larger scale than the other three pictures. More on this painting

François Boucher (1703–1770)

Mars and Venus Surprised by Vulcan, c.1754

Oil on canvas

H 164 x W 71 cm

The Wallace Collection

The second picture in the set with P429 and P444 depicts the story of Vulcan who, hearing of his wife’s infidelity with Mars, fashioned a golden net to entrap the faithless pair. Catching them together, he invited the other gods to enjoy their humiliation, but attracted new lovers for his wife, Neptune and Mercury, whose passions were aroused by the sight of her naked body. The three Boucher panels, with their amorous subjects and exquisite touch, would seem to have been obvious purchases for the 4th Marquess of Hertford. He may have been attracted, too, by their inventive sale catalogue entry, which described them as boudoir decorations, possibly once belonging to Madame de Pompadour.

François Boucher (1703–1770)

The Judgment of Paris, c. 1754

Oil on canvas

H 164 x W 76.6 cm

The Wallace Collection

Peleus and Thetis, who threw a golden apple among the guests, inscribed ‘to the fairest’. Venus, Juno, and Minerva all claimed the prize. Jupiter decreed that the shepherd Paris, son of King Priam of Troy, should settle the dispute. When Venus promised Paris the love of the most beautiful woman on earth, he decided in her favour. Unlike other representations of the myth, Boucher’s typically ignores the moral implications of the tale in order to concentrate on portraying three beautiful naked women from different angles. All three pictures are fine examples of Boucher’s mythological canvases of the 1750s, as usual focussing on the female nude. More on this painting

Boullogne, Louis II de, dit Le Jeune dit also, Le Jeune (Paris, 1654 - Paris, 1733)

Venus asking Vulcan for arms for Aeneas

Oil on canvas

Height: 1 m; Width: 0.6 m

Louvre Museum

In the Aeneid (8:370-385) Virgil tells how Venus asked Vulcan to make a set of armour for Aeneas, her son, when he was about to go to war in Latium. The outcome of Aeneas' victory was the founding of a Trojan settlement on the Tiber from which, according to the legend, the Romans descended.

In Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas was a Trojan hero, the son of the prince Anchises and the goddess Aphrodite (Venus). His father was a first cousin of King Priam of Troy, making Aeneas a second cousin to Priam's children (such as Hector and Paris). He is a character in Greek mythology and is mentioned in Homer's Iliad. Aeneas receives full treatment in Roman mythology, most extensively in Virgil's Aeneid, where he is an ancestor of Romulus and Remus. He became the first true hero of Rome. 

He played a prominent part in defending his city against the Greeks during the Trojan War, being second only to Hector in ability. Homer implies that Aeneas did not like his subordinate position, and from that suggestion arose a later tradition that Aeneas helped to betray Troy to the Greeks. The more common version, however, made Aeneas the leader of the Trojan survivors after Troy was taken by the Greeks. More on Aeneas

Boullogne, Louis II de, dit Le Jeune dit also, Le Jeune (Paris, 1654 - Paris, 1733)

Urania and Melpomene, c.1680

Oil on canvas

Height: 0.9 m; Width: 1.1 m

Louvre Museum

Melpomene is the daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne. Her sisters include Calliope (muse of epic poetry), Clio (muse of history), Euterpe (muse of lyrical poetry), Terpsichore (muse of dancing), Erato (muse of erotic poetry), Thalia (muse of comedy), Polyhymnia (muse of hymns), and Urania (muse of astronomy).

In 1722, he was chosen to design the medals and mottos for the Académie des inscriptions, receiving a new 1,000 livres pension and the ordre de Saint-Michel. In 1723, he was made rector of the Académie; in 1724, first painter to the king, with letters patent of nobility for him and his descendants; and, in 1725, director of the Académie, offices he held until his death. His students included Michel de Cornical [fr], Louis Galloche and Jacques-François Courtin. A strong supporter of the Académie, Louis de Boullogne supported its students with his lessons and his protection. He was the sworn enemy of the pochades and bambochades, claiming that only those with great skill and a fully formed taste could be allowed to paint.

Boullogne, Louis II de, dit Le Jeune dit also, Le Jeune (Paris, 1654 - Paris, 1733)

Abigail Offering Bread to David, circa 1700

Oil on canvas

Height: 0.938 m; Width: 1 m;

Louvre Museum

Abigail was married to Nabal; she became married to the future King David after Nabal's death. Abigail was David's second wife. She became the mother of one of David's sons, Daniel.

Nabal had demonstrated ingratitude towards David, and Abigail attempts to placate David, in order to stop the future King from taking revenge. She gives him food, and speaks to him, urging him not to "have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed."

After Abigail reveals to Nabal what she has done, "God struck Nabal and he died," after which David married her. Abigail is described as intelligent and beautiful. More on Abigail

Boullogne, Louis II de, dit Le Jeune dit also, Le Jeune (Paris, 1654 - Paris, 1733)

Rest on the Flight into Egypt, c. 1715

Oil on canvas

Height: 4.25 m; Width: 4.31 m

Louvre Museum

Boullogne, Louis II de, dit Le Jeune dit also, Le Jeune (Paris, 1654 - Paris, 1733)

Presentation at the temple, c. 1715

Oil on canvas

Height: 4.3 m; Width: 4.54 m

Louvre Museum

The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, according to the gospel, Mary and Joseph took the Infant Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem forty days after his birth to complete Mary's ritual purification after childbirth, and to perform the redemption of the firstborn son. Luke explicitly says that Joseph and Mary take the option provided for poor people (those who could not afford a lamb), sacrificing "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." Leviticus indicates that this event should take place forty days after birth for a male child, hence the Presentation is celebrated forty days after Christmas. More on The Presentation of Jesus

Boullogne, Louis II de, dit Le Jeune dit also, Le Jeune (Paris, 1654 - Paris, 1733)

The mystical marriage of Saint Catherine

Oil on canvas

Height: 0.41 m; Width: 0.3 m

Louvre Museum

The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine covers two different subjects in Christian art arising from visions received by either Saint Catherine of Alexandria or Saint Catherine of Siena (1347–1380), in which these virgin saints went through a mystical marriage wedding ceremony with Christ, in the presence of the Virgin Mary, consecrating themselves and their virginity to him.

The Catholic Encyclopaedia notes that such a wedding ceremony "is but the accompaniment and symbol of a purely spiritual grace", and that "as a wife should share in the life of her husband, and as Christ suffered for the redemption of mankind, the mystical spouse enters into a more intimate participation in His sufferings."  Catherine of Alexandria was martyred, while Catherine of Siena received the stigmata.

Both Saint Catherines are frequent subjects in Christian art; the scene usually includes one of the Saint Catherines and either the infant Jesus held by his mother or an adult Jesus. Very rarely both saints are shown in a double ceremony (as above). Saint Catherine of Alexandria is invariably dressed as a princess in rich clothes, often with a crown, and normally with loose long blonde hair and carrying a martyr's palm, sometimes with her attribute of a wheel; Saint Catherine of Siena is shown as a Dominican nun in white with a black over-robe open at the front, so it is usually easy to tell which saint is depicted. More Saint Catherine

Boullogne, Louis II de, dit Le Jeune dit also, Le Jeune (Paris, 1654 - Paris, 1733)

The Centurion with Christ, c. 1686

Oil on canvas

Height: 4.5 m; Width: 3.58 m

Louvre Museum

When Jesus entered Capernaum, some Jewish elders came to him and told him of a centurion’s servant who was ill. The centurion sent these elders to ask Jesus to come to his home and heal his servant. While Jesus was on his way to the home, more men came up to him. These men were sent by the centurion again with a message. They told Jesus to no longer bothering coming. The centurion said he is not worthy to have Jesus in his home. He still believed that if Jesus says the word his servant would be healed. Jesus proclaimed he had not found faith like the centurions in all of Israel. When the friends returned, they found the servant was healed. More on The Centurion with Christ

Louis de Boullogne  (1654–1733)

Le Christ et l'Hémorroïsse, circa 1695

Oil on canvas

Height: 37.5 cm (14.7 in); Width: 22.8 cm (8.9 in)

Musée Carnavalet 

Gospel according to Mark , chapter 5, verses 25-34 

“Now, a woman suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years, who had suffered greatly from many doctors and had spent all her assets without any profit, but was rather from bad to worse, had heard of Jesus. Coming from behind in the crowd, she touched her coat. Because she said to herself: “If I at least touch her clothes, I will be saved.” And immediately the source from which she was losing blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her infirmity. And immediately Jesus was aware of the force that had gone out of him, and having turned around in the crowd, he said, “Who has touched my clothes?” His disciples said to him: “You see the crowd pressing you on all sides, and you say: Who touched me? " And he was looking around to see who did it. Then the woman, fearful and trembling, knowing well what had happened to her, came and threw herself at his feet and told him the whole truth. And he said to her: "Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace and be healed of your infirmity." More on Le Christ et l'Hémorroïsse

Louis Boullogne was buried at Saint-Eustache, parish of his birth. He left a vast fortune to four children he had had with Bacquet - two sons (the eldest was councilor to the parlement de Metz, then conseiller d'État and an intendant des finances et ordres du roi, and the younger receiver general of finances for Tours) and two daughters (of which one married Jean-Pierre Richarol, receiver general of finances, with whom she had the painter Jean-Claude Richard, and the other became a nun). Jacques François Courtin was his pupil. More on Louis de Boullogne

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