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𝗟𝗲𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗱'𝗔𝘃𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗻 ~ 𝗣𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗼 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗼

10 Facts You Might not Know about the Masterpiece

1. Picasso kept "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" in his Montmartre, Paris studio for years after its completion in 1907, due to the mostly negative reactions of his immediate circle of friends and colleagues. The public was first able to view the painting at the Salon d'Antin in 1916, although a photo of the work appeared in The Architectural Record in 1910.

2. The art world did not begin to embrace the painting, Picasso's nascent Cubist work, until early in the 1920s, when Andre Breton republished the photo and the article entitled, "The Wild Men of Paris: Matisse, Picasso and Les Fauves."

3. Picasso prepared over six months for the final creation of "Les Demoiselles" by making hundreds of sketches, drawings and paintings. His preparatory work was perhaps more comprehensive than that of any other artist in history for a single artwork and certainly more intensive than for any other artwork he produced.

4. When colleague and competitor Henri Matisse saw Picasso's painting, he reacted violently. Matisse thought "Les Demoiselles" was a criticism of the modern art movement and felt that the painting stole the thunder from his own Blue Nude and Le Bonheur de Vivre. He called the figures in the painting hideous whores.

5. One reason "Les Demoiselles" is revolutionary is the artist's omission of perspective. There is no vanishing point, nowhere for the eye to move beyond the women and their pointed glances. 

6. By reducing his figures to a combination of geometric shapes, Picasso runs counter to centuries of artistic tradition in which the human form is deified, anatomically duplicated and/or romanticized.

  Les Demoiselles d'Avignon ~ 1907, oil on canvas, Cubism 

7. The masks in the painting reflect Picasso's obsession with primitive art, not only of African origin but also the art of ancient Iberia, or modern-day Spain and Portugal. The simple forms, angular planes and bold shapes used in primitive art were instrumental in the artist's restructuring of artistic conventions.

8. In an earlier sketch of "Les Demoiselles," the figure to the left was a male medical student, skull in hand, entering the brothel, but the artist decided that such a customer added an element of narrative that would detract from the overall impact of the scene.

9. Picasso was deeply impacted by Tahitian journals of Paul Gauguin and his 1906 art exhibition. Gaughin's sculpture of the Tahitian goddess Oviri inspired Picasso to try his hand at ceramics and woodcuts in 1906. Art historians attribute the strong element of primitivism in Gaughin's work as a significant influence on "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon." 10. In the title of the artwork, "Avignon" refers not to the city in Provence but to the name of a street in Barcelona in a district known for prostitution. 

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Text in English and Italian

PALERMO - ORATORIO DELLE DAME O DEL GIARDINELLO

Nel 1535, mentre in Italia si svolgeva l’ennesima guerra tra Spagnoli e Francesi e la chiesa Anglicana si separava definitivamente da quella Romana, a Palermo le nobildonne della città decisero di creare la Congregazione delle Dame nel quartiere dell’Albergheria, uno dei più poveri di Palermo. La Congregazione segreta vedeva le più importanti principesse di Palermo riunirsi in preghiera o per effettuare gli esercizi spirituali ed essendo dedicata a Maria Santissima dell’Aspettazione del Parto, La cura dei bambini appena nati era anche una delle attività a cui le  nobili consorelle si dedicavano sia con donazioni di denaro che di vestiti da loro cuciti. La congregazione era presieduta da una Governatrice ruolo che fino alla fine del Regno d’Italia era presieduto dalle regine napoletane e poi Italiane. La nobiltà delle consorelle è dimostrato dalla ricchezza barocca dell’Oratorio le cui pareti sono ricoperte di quadri religiosi e da preziosi decori tra cui risaltano i ricchi tromp-d’oeil. Gli affreschi sono una glorificazione del Trionfo della Vergine e di Gesù bambino sono di Antonio Grano, un pittore Palermitano tra i più grandi rappresentanti del barocco siciliano. Non è facile accedere al piccolo e nobile oratorio, ma una volta entrati, non si può che rimanere stupidi dalla sua immensa bellezza.

In 1535, while yet another war was taking place in Italy between the Spanish and the French and the Anglican church was definitively separated from the Roman one, in Palermo the noblewomen of the city decided to create the Congregation of Ladies in the Albergheria district, one of the poorest of Palermo. The secret congregation saw the most important princesses of Palermo gather in prayer or to carry out spiritual exercises and being dedicated to the Most Holy Mary of the Expectation of Childbirth, the care of newborn children was also one of the activities to which the noble sisters were dedicated both with donations of money and clothes they sewed. The congregation was chaired by a Governor role who until the end of the Kingdom of Italy was presided over by the Neapolitan and then Italian queens. The nobility of the sisters is demonstrated by the baroque richness of the Oratory whose walls are covered with religious paintings and precious decorations among which the rich tromp-d'oeil stand out. The frescoes are a glorification of the Triumph of the Virgin and the baby Jesus are by Antonio Grano, a painter from Palermo among the greatest representatives of Sicilian Baroque. It is not easy to access the small and noble oratory, but once inside, one can only be stupified by its immense beauty.

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𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒕 𝑱𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝑫𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒆𝒓 (𝑩𝒊𝒐)

Herbert James Draper 1863~1920�� *Spirit of the Fountain*

Born in London, the son of a jeweler named Henry Draper and his wife Emma, he was educated at Bruce Castle School in Tottenham and then went on to study art at the Royal Academy. He undertook several educational trips to Rome and Paris between 1888 and 1892, having won the Royal Academy Gold Medal and Travelling Studentship in 1889. In the 1890s, he worked as an illustrator, eventually settling in London. In 1891, he married Ida (née Williams), with whom he had a daughter, Yvonne. He died of arteriosclerosis at the age of 56, in his home on Abbey Road.

*Calypso’s Isle* 1897

Draper's most productive period began in 1894. He focused mainly on mythological themes from ancient Greece. His painting "The Lament for Icarus" (1898) won the gold medal at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900 and was later bought for the Tate Gallery by the Chantrey Trustees.

*Lament of Icarus* 1898 detail

. He was also responsible for the decoration of the ceiling of the Drapers' Hall in the City of London. Though Draper was neither a member nor an associate of the Royal Academy, he took part in the annual expositions from 1890 on. In later years as the public tastes changed and mythological scenes became less popular he concentrated more on portraits.

*Halcyone* 

During his lifetime Draper was quite famous, a well-known portrait painter. In his last years, his popularity faded, though there has recently been a revival of interest in his work on the art market.

*Water baby* 

In 1890s Draper was focused mainly on ancient Greek mythological subjects. Frederic Leighton had depicted Icarus in 1869, but while Leighton showed the preparations for the flight, Draper depicted the tragic ending of the flight. For the composition Draper adopted Leighton's method of depicting separate figures, for which he employed four young professional models (Ethel Gurden, Ethel Warwick, Florence Bird and Luigi di Luca).

 The use of the male body as a vehicle for the projection of subjective emotion, as in The Lament for Icarus, is a feature of Late-Victorian painting and sculpture, and in The Lament for Icarus the body appears to melt within the arms of one nymph. Draper applied liquid light effects without abandoning form and used mainly warm colors. The tanned skin of Icarus refers to his close approach to the Sun before falling down. The rays of the setting sun on distant cliffs emphasize the transience of time. Moralizing, sentimental and sensual, The Lament for Icarus ultimately became a well-composed image of epic failure. However, somewhat surprising, Icarus has his wings fully intact, contrary to the myth where the wax melted and Icarus fell flapping his bare arms. The image of a "winged creature" is likely utilized to create a more symbolic, romantic and elegant appearance.

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~Tamara and the Demon~ 🖤

 Konstantin Makovsky, 1889

Based on the poem Demon by Mikhail Lermontov, in which a demon falls in love with a Georgian princess called Tamara.

.

“A stranger, mute, through mists that curled,

in beauty clad not of this world,

came to her, leaned above her pillow;

and in his glance was such billow

of love and grief that you’d infer

all his compassion was for her.

This was no angel to befriend her,

this was no heaven-sent defender:

no crown of iridescent beams

adorned his forehead with its gleams;

nor one of those who burn together

in hell, no tortured sinner—no!

he as like evening in clear weather:

not day, nor night-not gloom, nor glow!”  

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Madonna of the Lilies (1905) ~ Alfons Mucha.

Tempera on canvas, Art Nouveau.

In 1902, Mucha was commissioned to decorate a church in Jerusalem dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Shown here is the final version of Madonna of the Lilies, one of the murals for the church. The project was cancelled later for unknown reasons, so all that remains of this commission is this painting and earlier versions of it (Sakai City collection, Japan), as well as a design for a stained-glass window, Harmony, which is also in the Mucha Trust collection.

According to Mucha’s letter to his wife Maruška, he conceived the subject as ‘Virgo purissima’, thus depicting the heavenly vision of Madonna, surrounded with a mass of lilies, symbol of purity. The seated young girl in Slavic folk costume carries a wreath of ivy leaves, symbol of remembrance. Her serious expression and strong physical presence contrast with the ethereal figure of the Virgin.

 Collection: Mucha Foundation.

http://www.muchafoundation.org/

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𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓜𝓸𝓼𝓪𝓲𝓬𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓗𝓪𝓰𝓲𝓪 𝓢𝓸𝓹𝓱𝓲𝓪, 𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓽 𝓽𝔀𝓸.

Moon eclipse above the Hagia Sophia.

 It is said that Emperor Alexander (870-913) was one of the worst Byzantine Emperors. He was the first Byzantine emperor to use the term "autocrator" (αὐτοκράτωρ πιστὸς εὑσεβὴς βασιλεὺς) on coinage to celebrate the ending of his thirty-three years as co-emperor.

Alexander died of exhaustion after a game of tzykanion (polo) on June 6, 913. The sources also accused the Emperor of idolatry, including making pagan sacrifices to the golden statue of a boar in the Hippodrome in hope of curing his impotence.

His mosaic (Alexander Panel) probably dates to 912. In the mosaic, he was depicted unaccompanied with his red crown and ornate red boots with pearls holding an orb in his right hand and an akakia (a cylindrical purple silk roll containing dust, symbolizing the mortal nature of men) in his left hand. He wears a royal garment a sagion and a skoramargion. We see him in his older ages.

 In the mosaic, there are four inscriptions, three of which are cruciform monograms and one of which reads Alexander.

𝓔𝓶𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓸𝓻 𝓐𝓵𝓮𝔁𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓛𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷 𝓒𝓻𝓸𝓼𝓼

This mosaic dates back to the Justinian period. It is located in the inner narthex.

𝓜𝓸𝓼𝓪𝓲𝓬 𝓸𝓯 𝓐𝓻𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓵 𝓖𝓪𝓫𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓵 𝓗𝓪𝓰𝓲𝓪 𝓢𝓸𝓹𝓱𝓲𝓪.

Though depiction of a winged angel as a young woman is not an early Christian tradition but a later practice, Gabriel Mosaic is one of the most beautiful mosaics of Hagia Sophia. Located in the bema vault, The Archangel Gabriel has a crystal ball in one hand and a scepter in another.

 Wearing a ribbon in the hair, it has a fair complexion. Clothed in dark royal clothes with a cape, it shines with golden tesserae. It faces another angel, Michael whose relics are just four feathers of its right wing, one of his feet, and the part of a feather of its left wing.

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓜𝓸𝓼𝓪𝓲𝓬𝓼 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓟𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓡𝓸𝓸𝓶

NOT opeɴ тo тнe vιѕιтorѕ

In the Priest Room, there are depictions of Christ and Mary which date back to the 6th century. There are also the relics of the depictions of the apostles of Christ. Unfortunately, the Priest Room isn’t open for visitors.

𝓓𝓮𝓲𝓼𝓲𝓼, 𝓥𝓲𝓻𝓰𝓲𝓷 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓒𝓱𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓽

𝓢𝓲𝓶𝓸𝓷 𝓩𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓸𝓽, 𝓟𝓪𝓽𝓻𝓲𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱 𝓖𝓮𝓻𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓸𝓼, 𝓟𝓪𝓽𝓻𝓲𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱 𝓝𝓲𝓬𝓮𝓹𝓱𝓸𝓻𝓾𝓼.

𝓢𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓽 𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓢𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓽 𝓢𝓽𝓮𝓹𝓱𝓮𝓷, 𝓯𝓻𝓪𝓰𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓼.

𝓕𝓻𝓪𝓰𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓟𝓪𝓽𝓻𝓲𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱 𝓜𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓭𝓲𝓾𝓼.

𝓕𝓻𝓪𝓰𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓟𝓪𝓽𝓻𝓲𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱 𝓝𝓲𝓬𝓮𝓹𝓱𝓸𝓻𝓾𝓼.

Photo Credit Dumbarton Oaks

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𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒐𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒄𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑯𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒂 𝑺𝒐𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒂, 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝑶𝒏𝒆.

The Hagia Sophia ~Holy Wisdom (of God) ~ is a religious building that has crowned the skyline of Istanbul - Turkey for almost 1,500 years. It is famous for its rich history and is considered an architectural masterpiece of architecture from the Eastern Roman Empire, known as Byzantine.

The Hagia Sophia was built during the 6th century. It is one of the few buildings that have served three different religions during its existence. It has been an Orthodox Christian church, a Catholic cathedral, and a mosque. Currently, it functions as a museum…

On 10 July 2020, the decision of the Turkish Council of Ministers to transform the Hagia Sophia into a museum was cancelled by the Council of State. And, despite secular and global criticism, Erdoğan signed a decree annulling the Hagia Sophia's museum status, reverting it to a mosque…

Hagia Sophia is an Unesco World Heritage site.

~𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒄𝒔 ~

Hagia Sophia Imperial Gate mosaic

The mosaic above the Imperial Door was created during the 10th century, and it portraits the Emperor and several religious figures over a golden background. It shows Emperor Leo VI with a halo around his head kneeling next to Christ, who is sitting on a throne, blessing with his right hand. The text on the left hand of Christ reads in Greek ''Peace be with you. I am the light of the world'' (John 14:27; 8:12). There are two medallions, one on each side, showing the Virgin Mary and the Archangel Gabriel.

The Empress Zoe mosaics (11th-century) in Hagia Sophia.

The Empress Zoe mosaic on the eastern wall of the southern gallery date from the 11th century. Christ Pantocrator, clad in the dark blue robe (as is the custom in Byzantine art), is seated in the middle against a golden background, giving His blessing with the right hand and holding the Bible in His left hand. On either side of His head are the nomina sacra IC and XC, meaning Iēsous Christos. He is flanked by Constantine IX Monomachus and Empress Zoe, both in ceremonial costumes. He is offering a purse, as a symbol of donation, he made to the church, while she is holding a scroll, symbol of the donations she made. The inscription over the head of the emperor says: "Constantine, pious emperor in Christ the God, king of the Romans, Monomachus". The inscription over the head of the empress reads as follows: "Zoë, the very pious Augusta". The previous heads have been scraped off and replaced by the three present ones. Perhaps the earlier mosaic showed her first husband Romanus III Argyrus or her second husband Michael IV. Another theory is that this mosaic was made for an earlier emperor and empress, with their heads changed into the present ones.

The Virgin and Child (Theotokos) mosaic, in the apse of Hagia Sophia.

The famous Virgin and Child mosaic in the apse was inaugurated in 867, the first to be installed after a prolonged period of iconoclasm (726-843) in the Eastern Church.

Southwestern entrance mosaic

The southwestern entrance mosaic, situated in the tympanum of the southwestern entrance, dates from the reign of Basil II. It was rediscovered during the restorations of 1849 by the Fossatis. The Virgin sits on a throne without a back, her feet resting on a pedestal, embellished with precious stones. The Christ Child sits on her lap, giving his blessing and holding a scroll in his left hand. On her left side stands emperor Constantine in ceremonial attire, presenting a model of the city to Mary. The inscription next to him says: "Great emperor Constantine of the Saints". On her right side stands emperor Justinian I, offering a model of the Hagia Sophia. The medallions on both sides of the Virgin's head carry the nomina sacra MP and ΘΥ, abbreviations of "Mētēr" and "Theou", meaning "Mother of God".  

Comnenus mosaics, Hagia Sophia.

The Comnenus mosaic, also located on the eastern wall of the southern gallery, dates from 1122.

On the right side of Virgin Mary stands emperor John II Comnenus, represented in a garb embellished with precious stones. He holds a purse, symbol of an imperial donation to the church. Empress Irene stands on the left side of the Virgin, wearing ceremonial garments and offering a document. Their eldest son Alexius Comnenus is represented on an adjacent pilaster. He is shown as a beardless youth, probably representing his appearance at his coronation aged seventeen. In this panel, one can already see a difference with the Empress Zoe mosaic that is one century older. There is a more realistic expression in the portraits instead of an idealized representation. The Empress, Saint Irene (born Piroska), daughter of Ladislaus I of Hungary is shown with plaited blond hair, rosy cheeks, and grey eyes, revealing her Hungarian descent. The emperor is depicted in a dignified manner.

Portrait of Saint John Chrysostom of Antioch (Hagios Ioannis Chrysostomos).

Deësis mosaic (Judgment day)

The Deësis mosaic (Δέησις, "Entreaty") probably dates from 1261. It was commissioned to mark the end of 57 years of Roman Catholic use and the return to the Eastern Orthodox faith. It is the third panel situated in the imperial enclosure of the upper galleries. It is widely considered the finest in Hagia Sophia, because of the softness of the features, the human expressions and the tones of the mosaic. The style is close to that of the Italian painters of the late 13th or early 14th century, such as Duccio. In this panel the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist (Ioannes Prodromos), both shown in three-quarters profile, are imploring the intercession of Christ Pantocrator for humanity on Judgment Day. The bottom part of this mosaic is badly deteriorated. This mosaic is considered as the beginning of a renaissance in Byzantine pictorial art.

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Tнe Sтory oғ Cυpιd αɴd Pѕycнe вy Jαcopo del Sellαιo (1442 ~ 1493)

Jacopo del Sellaio (1442 - 1493)

Cupid and Psyche, c.1473

Tempera and gold on a wooden panel

Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge UK.

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭?

Jacopo da Sellaio (c. 1441 - 1493), sometimes known as Jacopo di Arcangel, was an eclectic Italian painter from the early Renaissance, who painted in the style of the Florentine School. His style of painting uses a light palette of colours and experiments with linear perspective.  He was a pupil of Fra' Filippo Lippi, with his contemporary Sandro Botticelli, who became a lasting influence on him. It is noted that by 1460, he had joined the Confraternity of Saint Luke (Compagnia di S Luca) in Florence, and in 1473, he is documented to have shared a studio with Filippo di Giuliano.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞?

This colorful panel is from a 'spalliera', a decorated backboard. It would either be mounted on a wall as a headboard or attached to furniture, most commonly a ‘cassone’ (marriage chest). These special chests were made to celebrate a marriage, and were part of a bride’s dowry. They were filled with expensive linen and cloths and paraded through the streets from the bride’s family home to her new home as part of the wedding celebration. It would then be used as a piece of furniture in the family home for storage and sometimes as a bench to sit on.  

Giorgio Vasari, 1550, recalling cassoni painting of the previous century:

'𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐬,

𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬.' 

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞?

Cupid and Psyche is a story originally from Metamorphoses, written in the 2nd century AD by Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis. The tale concerns the overcoming of obstacles to the love between Psyche and Cupid or Eros, and their ultimate union in a sacred marriage.

 The panel shows the first half of this ancient romance in which the mortal princess Psyche is married to the god of love, Cupid. The story is read from left to right like a cartoon strip. Two bedchambers ‘bookend’ the action at either end- on the left Psyche is conceived and born, and the room on the right hand side shows her marital bed with Cupid. Sellaio arranges everything symmetrically to balance out the different elements of the picture. For instance, the hovering figure of Cupid is echoed by the figure of Psyche being blown from her mountain, and the three suitors match the sisters on the other side of the composition.

 Fifteen episodes from the story appear across the panel. Many of these involve the same characters and all take place against a simple background and landscape. Psyche appears twelve times ~ eleven as a women and once as a baby. This method of visual storytelling is called ‘continuous narrative’ and is inspired by classical models such as Roman sarcophagi. This might be confusing today when we are used to seeing single frames of action.

 However, this was a familiar way of telling stories in Renaissance Italy. So the story is read from left to right like a cartoon strip. 

~Young Psyche with her courtiers when Cupid first sets eyes on her~ 

~Cupid sets eyes of Psyche and cannot follow through his mother, Venus's, evil plan~

~Cupid falls in love with Psyche and is unable to carry out Venus’ evil plan~

~Psyche is blown off the hill by Zephyrus the wind~

~Psyche lands on a soft bower~ 

When she awakes, she finds herself at a beautiful palace where she is welcomed by an invisible, but kind, master (Cupid, in hiding from his mother). He invites Psyche to live with him on the condition that she will never ask his true identity. They are happy for a while but then Psyche’s sisters persuade her to look at him whilst he sleeps. A drop of oil lands on his skin, he wakes up and is angered by Psyche’s lack of trust.

~Psyche lifting Cupid's wing~ 

The story continues in a second panel (in a private collection). Cupid returns to his mother, Psyche searches for him and is captured and enslaved by Venus. Cupid pleads with Jupiter, king of the gods, to free Psyche. He agrees, and Cupid and Psyche are married. 

~Story of Psyche ~ second panel,

Jacopo da Sellaio (1441/1442–1493)

c. 1490

Museum of Fine Arts Boston.

(detail from the second panel)

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𝑳𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒐 𝒅𝒂 𝑽𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒊 ~ 𝑽𝒊𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑺𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝑨𝒏𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑱𝒐𝒉𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒕.

‘The Burlington House Cartoon’ ~ Leonardo da Vinci  (1452- 1519)

Between 1499 and 1500, drawing on paper.

The National Gallery, London.

 The Virgin Mary sits on her mother’s lap, her attention focused on the wriggling Christ Child. Her mother, Saint Anne, looks intently at her through deep-set eyes and points upwards to the heavens, indicating the child’s divinity. Christ’s cousin, Saint John the Baptist, leans against Anne’s lap as the baby Christ tickles his chin.

Drawing was a crucial part of Leonardo’s artistic process and he produced numerous small-scale studies of animals, human anatomy and landscapes. In fact, we know more about Leonardo as an artist from his drawings than from his paintings, as so few of those survive. This work is particularly important as it is the only surviving large-scale drawing by the artist. Unlike his studies, it is a highly finished composition, and it may be the only record we have of a now-lost painting.

 Virgin Mary

Sheets of paper this large did not exist when Leonardo was alive, so he joined numerous pieces together – the joins are apparent on close inspection. Parts of the drawing are highly finished while other areas, like Anne’s pointing hand, were simply left as outlines. This shows us how Leonardo began by creating rough outlines of the shapes of parts of the body and then, using light and shade, gradually built them up into more rounded shapes. Parts of the drawing are densely shaded and contrasted with lighter areas to give a three-dimensional effect (a technique known as chiaroscuro), for example the figures face and elements of the draperies such as sections of the Virgin’s sleeve and the folds of fabric which cover Saint Anne’s knees.

In order to avoid harsh lines Leonardo blurred the contours of the forms, and the resulting smoky effect is called sfumato. He used it in his paintings too, for example The Virgin with the Infant Saint John the Baptist adoring the Christ Child accompanied by an Angel (The Virgin of the Rocks). Around the eyes, this blurring produces a mysterious effect that intensifies the gazes of the figures, expressing Leonardo’s idea that the thoughts (moti mentali, or “motions of the mind”) of painted figures should be visible on their faces. As she points upwards, Saint Anne reveals the mystery of Christ’s being – he is both human and divine. The focus on her eyes, which are so deeply in shadow, seems to emphasize his extraordinary identity.

Child Christ 

This is a cartoon, a large drawing usually made in preparation for a painting. When finished, the design would have been transferred onto the panel or canvas by pricking holes in the outlines and dusting over them with charcoal. However, this drawing, often referred to as “The Burlington House Cartoon”, shows no evidence of having been transferred, which suggests that no painting was made from this design. But it has been connected to a number of Leonardo’s commissions.

There’s a painting by Leonardo of the Virgin seated on her mother’s lap in the Louvre, Paris. However, it is different to this cartoon in some ways: The Virgin’s legs hang down to her left and she reaches over her mother to grasp the Christ Child, who play-fights with a small lamb (which appears in the place of the toddler John the Baptist). In 1501, Fra Pietro da Novellara, a Carmelite monk, wrote to the Marchioness of Mantua, Isabella d’Este, who was an admirer of Leonardo’s work, to tell her that he had seen a cartoon by Leonardo of Saint Anne, the Virgin, Christ and a lamb. The mention of the lamb suggests this was the cartoon for the Paris picture. Perhaps Leonardo changed his mind about the composition after he made our cartoon, making a new one, as described by Novellara, which was used as the design for the Paris picture. This change of plan was not unusual for Leonardo – he included the young Saint John the Baptist in our painting of The Virgin of the Rocks, though the saint appears in only one of the sketches for the painting and was not specified by the patron.

(Alternative, with removing grayness and balance color)

A small-scale sketch in the British Museum, London, shows Leonardo rapidly experimenting with ideas for this unusual grouping of intertwined figures. The sketch, dense with repeated strokes, was obviously worked-over many times, and it shows Leonardo trialing a variety of poses and combinations of figures; he seems to have changed his mind about the lamb and drawn over it, transforming its tail into Saint Anne’s pointing finger.

Novellara also told Isabella that Leonardo was unable to produce anything for her because he was busy with a project for Louis XII of France. In 1499, Louis troops invaded Milan, where Leonardo had been working for Ludovico Sforza, the city’s ruler since 1483. Louis’ wife was called Anne and the commission of a painting of his wife’s patron saint from the newly conquered city’s most famous artist would not have been unlikely. A seventeenth-century document reveals that Louis ordered a cartoon of the subject from Leonardo when the artist was living in Milan.

Saint John Baptist

Another possibility is that Leonardo made the cartoon for a Florentine patron. Vasari, the sixteenth-century artist and biographer, tells a story of how a cartoon by Leonardo was displayed for three days in the church of Santissima Annunziata, Florence – the exhibition gathered huge crowds and astonished everyone who saw it. The cartoon, according to Vasari, showed the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist – and a lamb. However accurate this story, the inclusion of Saint John the Baptist, the patron saint of Florence, would have made this a plausible setting for the work. And while it was unusual to show Saint Anne with the holy family, she was significant to the city of Florence because the tyrannous Duke of Athens had been expelled on her feast day in 1343.

It is also possible that the drawing was not made in preparation for a painting at all, but that it was intended as a work of art in its own right.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕻𝖔𝖑𝖚𝖉𝖓𝖎𝖈𝖆

One of the more unsettling spirits you ’ve read about is the poludnica, also known as Lady Midday or the Harvester of Souls. You find her all across Eastern Europe, under a variety of names. Usually it’s poludnica or poludnitsa or something similar. Most folktales describe her as looking like a tall young woman (though some describe her as an old crone or a child), thin and stately as a stalk of barley. 

The poludnica is a harvest spirit. One doesn’t generally think of Russia for its summers, but the heat in the fields can be as dangerous as the fiercest blizzard. During the height of harvest season, in many Eastern European regions, farmers and peasants used to stay out of the fields during the hottest parts of the day, because sunstroke was a very serious risk. The poludnica embodies that danger.

If a person were to go out into the fields during the forbidden hours, they would find her drifting through the grain, dressed in white, sometimes carrying a scythe, sickle, or shears. She seems beautiful and serene, but if she catches you in the fields one of several things (depending on the story) might happen. Often she says nothing. Sometimes she’ll pose you a riddle, or ask a strange and difficult question.

. If you can’t answer the question or riddle you’ll be in trouble, but if she says nothing you’ll be in trouble regardless. The poludnica can cause insanity and illness in anyone she meets, but more dangerous still is her strength. Though she looks frail as a twig, she is strong enough to twist a man’s head right off his neck, or break every bone in his body with her dainty hands. Afterward, she’ll disappear back into the wheat field.

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𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒖𝒎 𝒊𝒏 𝑷𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈

~Roman Capriccio: The Colosseum and Other Monuments~

Giovanni Paolo Panini (1691–1765)

Oil on canvas, 1735

Indianapolis Museum of Art.

~ The Colosseum was constructed between 72 A.D and 80 A.D under the Emperor Vespasian, in the heart of Rome. When it was first built it was initially called the Flavian Amphitheatre, after the Flavian dynasty of Emperors including Vespasian, Titus and Domitian.

The name ‘Colosseum’ is derived from the Latin word ‘colosseus’ meaning colossal.

Made from stone and concrete, this splendid monument was constructed with the man power of tens of thousands of slaves. (using over 60,000 Jewish slaves.).

~ It is thought that over 500.000 people lost their lives and over a million wild animals were killed throughout the duration of the Colosseum hosted people vs. monster games. Before the overgrowth of vegetation was removed in 1871 over 400 species of plants grew on the ruins, a range enabled both by the seeds ingested by exotic animals provided for the games and the amphitheater’s special microclimate.

Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824–1904),

~Ave Caesar, Morituri Te Salutant~ (1859),

oil on canvas, 92.5 x 145 cm, Yale University Art Gallery.

~ Under the empire the Colosseum was extensively repaired a number of times following fires and earthquakes. On 23 August, 217 AD it was repeatedly struck by lightning and all the wooden structures, which included the floor of the arena, went up in the blaze. The city’s seven firefighting battalions and sailors from the fleet at Misenus failed to quell the flames. The Colosseum remained unserviceable for some years but in 223 the Emperor Alexander Severus restored it to its ancient splendor. Lots of natural disasters ravaged the structure of the Colosseum, however it was the earthquakes of 847 AD and 1231 AD that caused most of the damage you see today. 

Paris Bordone (1500–1570),

~Gladiator Camp~ (c 1560),

oil on canvas, 218 x 329 cm, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria.

~An enormous awning drawn by ropes that were tied to beams fixed in the upper external cornice of the amphitheater and were maneuvered by a special service corps of sailors, provided shade for the spectators; and scents were sprayed into the auditorium to mask the smell of blood and the stench of rubbish.

José Moreno Carbonero (1860–1942),

~The Gladiators~ (1882),

oil on canvas

Museo del Prado on loan to Museo de Málaga, Málaga, Spain.

~The marble façade and some parts of the Colosseum were utilized for the construction of St Peter’s Basilica and later on monuments. Regardless of its ruthless pagan origins, the Colosseum has been utilized as a praise area by Christians over the centuries. A big cross was gotten rid of in the 1870’s throughout a frenzy of nonreligious archaeology funded by the brand-new Italian state. That cross was changed by Mussolini in 1926 in a negative effort to soothe Catholics.

Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg (1783–1853),

~View of the Interior of the Colosseum~ (1815-16),

oil on canvas, The Hirschsprung Collection, Copenhagen, Denmark.  

~Archaeologists have discovered that the carved seat numbers in the Roman Colosseum had been painted red to make the seats easier to see. The paint was an “exceptional finding.” Scholars did not believe the paint, composed of clay minerals and iron oxide, would survive the centuries.

Alexey Tarasovich Markov (1802-1878),

~Eustace Placido in the Colosseum~ (1836),

oil on canvas, 98 x 136.5 cm, The State Tretyakov Gallery, Russia.

Eugene Thirion (1839-1910),

~Triumph of Faith – Christian Martyrs in the Time of Nero~ (after 1863)

~The last gladiatorial fights took place in 435 AD and the last animal hunts dropped in 523 AD. It was mostly due to the expense of procuring animals and gladiators and maintaining the expensive facility.

IF

the Roman Colosseum was built today, it would cost about 380 million dollars!! 

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✨🌺✨✨🌺✨

Saskia van Uylenburgh (1612-1642) as Flora

Rembrandt 1606–1669

Oil on canvas, 1634

Hermitage Museum

The life-size quarter-length work was painted in Amsterdam, during a period when the young artist was experiencing early success. Rembrandt married Saskia in June 1634, and he made several paintings of her in the guise of characters from ancient myth, similar to his other character portraits (tronies). This work is thought to depict Saskia as Flora, Roman goddess of spring and flowers. She is standing in a grotto, looking towards the viewer, swathed in an extravagant and exotic costume of silk and satin with silver embroidery, with long hanging sleeves and a blue mantle, and wears a large pearl earring. She has a floral headdress over her long hair, including a multicolored "broken" tulip. She is also carrying a staff also decorated with leaves and flowers.

Rembrandt's paintings of Flora may have drawn some inspiration from the painting of Flora by Titian, then held in the collection of Alfonso Lopez, the Spanish ambassador in Amsterdam.

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~Rembrandt and Saskia in the Scene of the Prodigal Son in the Tavern~

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606~1669)

c. 1635

Oil on canvas, 161 x 131 cm

Gemäldegalerie, Dresden

 Luke 15:11 Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons.

In 1925, German scholar Wilhem Valentiner concluded that Rembrandt and Saskia are playing roles. Just as an actor may direct a movie as well as play a leading role in it, Rembrandt has cast himself in the role of the wastrel prodigal son; his wife, Saskia, is acting as a carefree prostitute. Valentiner’s conclusion has been supported by an x-ray analysis that indicates the composition once contained a woman playing a lute as well as objects that are associated with a tavern. Rembrandt painted over them as the two principal figures became the object of his attention.

Rembrandt’s penchant for casting family members and people from his community as subjects in scenes continued throughout his life. His study of Latin was likely the source of an early interest in Roman subjects such as Saskia in the role of Flora. As he became older, his interest in biblical themes increased greatly.

 Unlike almost every other artist in Europe, Rembrandt did not go to Italy to study the classics. Elements of classicism and its tendency toward formality are not found in his work. Whereas classicism tends to guide a viewer to an intellectual appreciation, the works of Rembrandt contain a sense of emotional warmth and psychological insight.

Hovak Najarian © 2013

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Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres 1780~1867

~The Apotheosis of Homer~ 1827

Neoclassical painter.

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The composition is a symmetrical grouping centered in a classical way in front of an ancient Greek temple. The painting's catalogue entry at the time of its first exhibition described it as "Homer receiving homage from all the great men of Greece, Rome and modern times. The Universe crowns him, Herodotus burns incense. The Iliad and Odyssey sit at his feet."

Ingres was commissioned to paint this composition with numerous figures to decorate a ceiling in the Musée Charles X in the Louvre, now the Egyptian Rooms. It was taken down in 1855. The work, which does not betray its origin as a ceiling painting, draws heavily on Raphael's Parnassus. It shows a deified Homer receiving homages from the great artists of antiquity and modern times. At his feet, two allegories represent the Iliad and the Odyssey.

The god of classical art and his disciples

The poet Homer is presented as a god, sitting in front of a temple bearing his name on the pediment. He is being crowned with laurels by a Victory. Two women sitting at his feet personify the epics he composed. The woman bearing a sword represents the

Iliad

, while the woman with the oar represents the

Odyssey

. The deified poet is receiving homage from forty-six great figures of antiquity and modern times.

.The figures from antiquity-painted full length and closest to Homer-include on the left the tragic poet Aeschylus holding a roll of parchment and the artist Apelles with his brushes and palette, and on the right the poet Pindar with a lyre and the sculptor Phidias with a hammer. Only two great men of modern times, Dante and Raphael, are included in this group. The other great men of modern times are shown lower in the painting in half-length portraits. Most are artists from the classical period-the century of Louis XIV-such as the writers Racine, Boileau, Molière, Corneille, and La Fontaine, and the artist Nicolas Poussin.

Source: The Louvre. 

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“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑻𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑮𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔,” 𝑺𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒂 𝑪𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒆, 𝑭𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 ~ 𝑰𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒚. The tombs of Santa Croce.

Dante Alighieri c.1265~1321 (cenotaph)

Basilica di Santa Croce, Florence, Italy

The incredible Tuscan poet was exiled from Florence for his political activities in 1302 and was not allowed to return. And if you ask, even though they are clamoring to have his physical remains returned, they still haven’t forgiven him for his “indiscretion”. This isn’t exactly a tomb but a cenotaph: an empty tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere.

Tomb of Michelangelo Buonarroti 1475~1564

Basilica di Santa Croce, Florence, Italy

The burial site for Michelangelo was built in 1564~1574, (designed by Giorgio Vasari). He is surrounded by three allegorical statues representing his artistic strong points: Painting (by Giovan Battista Lorenzi), Sculpture (by Valerio Cioli) and Architecture (by Giovan Battista Lorenzi) all three which are shown in mourning. Michelangelo died in 1564 in Rome, miles away from Santa Croce but that didn’t deter his admirers - who reportedly stole his bones so that they would be buried in Florence.

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Legend has it that the Renaissance master chose this spot so that the first thing he would see on Judgment Day, when the graves of the dead fly open, would be Brunelleschi's dome through Santa Croce's open doors.

Tomb of Niccolò Machiavelli 1469~1527

Basilica di Santa Croce, Florence, Italy

Nearly halfway down the nave of Santa Croce stands the tomb of Niccolò Machiavelli, the political theoretician whose brutally pragmatic philosophy so influenced the Medici. Though he died in 1527, his tomb was not built until 1787. Despite his reputation as a contemptuous political theorist, Machiavelli was an honest servant of the Florentine state. The great Italian statesman could have easily taken bribes from competing parties, yet he never did. Machiavelli’s monument is a marble structure created by Spinazzi that bears the inscription, “Tanto nomini nullum par eulogium,” or “No eulogy is equal to such a name.”

Tomb of Galileo (Physicist & Astronomer), 1564~1642

Basilica di Santa Croce, Florence, Italy

Though he is not a native of this city, he did spend the later part of his life in Florence under the patronage of the Medici giving him special status - at least for some. It was his beliefs about the earth revolving around the sun which created quite a bit of problems, even in death when he was not allowed a Christian burial. His monument was not constructed until 1737 when his remains were finally allowed to reside in the church. 

Tomb of Gioachino Rossini 1792~1868

Basilica di Santa Croce, Florence, Italy

At the very end of Santa Croce’s nave is the tomb of opera composer Gioachino Rossini, who died in 1868. Rossini penned 39 operas, including the famous “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” and “La Cenerentola.” Until his retirement in 1829, Rossini had been the most popular opera composer in history. His monument was created in 1900 by Giuseppe Cassioli.

Gioachino Rossini died in Paris on the 13th of November 1868. He was buried at first in Paris, Cimetière du Père Lachaise. But his corpse was exhumed on the 1st may 1887, and reburied the following day in Basilica di Santa Croce, Florence, Italy.

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💖´ *•.¸♥¸.•**

John William Godward (1861-1922)

~The Sweet Siesta of a Summer Day~

1891, oil on canvas.

The inspiration for The Sweet Siesta of a Summer Day comes from Lord Byron’s poem The Island (1823), specifically canto II, section VI:

“𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀

𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝘂𝘅𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗲𝘀,

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘆,

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗼𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗶,

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗺, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗺,

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗹𝗺.”

One of Byron’s last major works, The Island describes a fictional, paradisiacal place called Toobonai where there is no class system or division of property. Much like the utopia of Byron’s fantasy, the settings of John William Godward’s paintings are far removed from the trials of the modern world. In this sophisticated and complex composition, a classical beauty in a diaphanous cerulean stola lounges gracefully on a marble bench, indifferent to a smoking Mount Vesuvius visible in the distant summer haze. The second figure plays a classical Greek double flute or aulos. The warm, vivid hues of the Pompeiian interior’s frescoed walls contrast with the cool marble and the serene azure vista beyond the arbor. It is a scene of idyllic beauty and pensive idleness.

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Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, Leonardo

~Isabella d'Este~ Cartone per il Ritratto di Isabella d'Este

1500

Black and red chalk, yellow pastel chalk on paper

The Louvre Museum.

Isabella d'Este (19 May 1474 – 13 February 1539)

Marquise of Mantua.

She was born to the Duke of Ferrara and his wife Eleanor of Naples in 1474, the oldest and favorite of their children. Her mother ensured that she received an excellent education, even by male standards of the day, which emphasized the classics, including Greek and Latin. However, she seems to have struggled more in learning to read Latin, and in adult life received additional lessons to help her reading skills. She was particularly fond of music, singing and dancing, and learned to play several instruments including the lute and harpsichord. Her taste in music was predominantly secular.

Isabella started to collect objets d’art soon after she moved to her palace in Mantua. With regard to paintings, she was foremost a collector who relied on the advice of others in the court, rather than a connoisseur in her own right. Surprisingly, her purchases had to be made from her own wealth, which was quite limited, and in times of hardship she resorted to pawning jewelry to raise funds. Her patronage concentrated mainly on music and sculpture. She was unusual for promoting women as singers, and placing them in choirs. Her literary sponsorship was limited: she seems to have enjoyed swashbuckling stories of the adventures of knights, such as those in Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso, and was a faithful supporter of his work.

Her sponsorship and taste in paintings is largely reflected in the works which she commissioned for her private study, her famous studiolo, which thankfully have been well preserved as they passed to the French Kings, and most are now in the Louvre as a result. Combined with records in her copious correspondence and a crucial inventory, it has been possible to reconstruct this studiolo in detail. Her period of collecting covered the appointments of two court painters in Mantua: Andrea Mantegna until his death in 1506, thereafter Lorenzo Costa.

Andrea Mantegna (1431–1506)

Parnassus (Mars and Venus) (1496-97),

oil on canvas, 159 x 192 cm,

The Louvre Museum, Paris.

This painting refers to the classical myth of the affair between Mars and Venus, the latter being married to Vulcan, who caught them in bed together and cast a fine net around them for the other gods to come and mock their adultery. The lovers are shown standing together on a flat-topped rock arch, as the Muses dance below. To the left of Mars’ feet is Venus’ child Cupid who is aiming his blowpipe at Vulcan’s genitals, as he works at his forge in the cave at the left. At the right is Mercury, messenger of the gods, with his caduceus and Pegasus the winged horse. At the far left is Apollo making music for the Muses on his lyre.

It’s an unusual theme for a woman of the time to have chosen, although it has largely been interpreted with reference to a contemporary poem which seems less concerned with the underlying story of adultery exposed.

Andrea Mantegna (1431~1506),

Triumph of the Virtues (Pallas Expelling the Vices from the Garden of Virtue) 1499~1502,

tempera and oil on canvas,

The Louvre Museum, Paris.

Pietro Perugino (1448–1523),

Combat of Love and Chastity (1503),

tempera on canvas,

The Louvre Museum, Paris.

Its theme is literary, as laid down in the contract by Isabella’s court poet, and shows a fight between the personifications of Love and Chastity, which may have worked well in words but doesn’t translate into visual art at all well.

It features a gamut of mythological figures in no particular order, including Apollo and Daphne, Jupiter and Europa, Polyphemus and Galatea, and Pluto and Proserpina – all couples in which the man abducted and/or raped the woman. In front are Pallas Athene about to kill Eros with a lance, and a more evenly matched fight between Diana with her bow and Venus, who is singeing the huntress with a burning brand. Isabella laid out strict instructions, for example requiring that Venus, who is traditionally shown naked, was clothed. Even the owl perched in the branches of the sacred olive tree at the left was prescribed in the commission. When Perugino didn’t follow these, she protested, and on completion she wrote that it should have been better finished to set alongside her Mantegna, and was clearly unimpressed. For this the artist was paid just 100 ducats.

Lorenzo Costa (1460–1535),

The Garden of the Peaceful Arts (The Crowning of a Female Poet) (1504-06), oil on canvas

The Louvre Museum, Paris.

Mantegna had originally been commissioned to paint this, but died before he could make much progress on it. Costa started from scratch, and under Isabella’s direction according to her poet’s literary theme produced this strange painting which is often known as an allegory of Isabella’s coronation, or construed as an account of Sappho’s career.

Lorenzo Costa (1460–1535) and Andrea Mantegna (1431–1506),

The Reign of Comus (1506-11),

tempera on canvas,

The Louvre Museum, Paris.

Another commission which Mantegna had started to work on just before he died was completed by Costa in 1511, The Reign of Comus, which again uses tempera for a complex composition. Comus, ruler of a land of bacchanalia, sits talking to a near-naked Venus in the left foreground. Just to the right of the centre foreground, Nicaea is lying unconscious through alcohol, against Dionysus (Bacchus), who got her into a stupor so that he could rape her.

Under the arch is the unmistakable two-faced Janus with Hermes, apparently repelling potential newcomers to the bacchanal. In the centre is a small group of musicians, and various naked figures are cavorting in the waters behind.

References

~Alison Cole (2016) Italian Renaissance Court ~ Art, Pleasure and Power, Laurence King.

~Christine Shaw (2019) ~Isabella d’Este, A Renaissance Princess, Routledge.