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- Works of Art
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- François Boucher (1703 - 1770)
- The Rape of Europa
- France
- c. 1732–4
- P484
- Grand Staircase
- Bookmarkable URLOvid’s Metamorphoses (II, 835-75) tells of the abduction of Europa by the god Jupiter, disguised as a bull. Charmed by the bull’s playful antics, Europa climbed on his back, whereupon he bore her off into the waves, to the island of Crete. Boucher's ironic rendering concentrates on the gallant aspects of the scene, eschewing any reference to the story’s inherent violence.
Together with its pendant P487, the painting formed part of a group of works, painted without fee for the lawyer Derbais between c. 1731 and c. 1735. They were hung in Derbais's billiard room and the staircase: the two paintings at the Wallace Collection, a 'Triumph of Venus' (Paris, Romanian Embassy), 'Venus and Vulcan (Paris, Musée du Louvre) and 'Aurora and Cephalus' (Nancy, Musée des Beaux-Arts), as well as four paintings of putti depicting the seasons and probably another overdoor of amors. At that time, Boucher was aiming to build his reputation with potential patrons after his stay in Italy. The canvases greatly impressed contemporaries and was instrumental in establishing the young artist’s reputation as one of the leading history painters of eighteenth-century Paris. The canvas provides a full range of qualities, a learned composition, proficiency of landscape painting, close knowledge of venetian painting, that gave an overview of Boucher's newly acquired skills.
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- François Boucher (1703 - 1770)
- The Rising of the Sun
- France
- 1753
- P485
- Grand Staircase
- Bookmarkable URLThe 'Rising of the Sun' forms a pair with the 'Setting of the Sun'. Both were commissioned privately by Mme de Pompadour as full-scale models or cartoons for the Gobelin tapestry manufacture. The tapestries, finished in 1754 and 1755 respectively, briefly adorned the king's bedroom in the château de Bellevue, located between Paris and Versailles near Sèvres. This country house was built by Pompadour as a retreat where Louis XV could conduct important political meetings in privacy, away from the strictures of court etiquette.
By the 1750s, Pompadour had assumed the role of political advisor and quasi-minister to Louis XV, a role that is also expressed in the paintings and the tapestries. The nymph Tethys is seen assisting Apollo as he sets out on the chariot of the sun; she welcomes him back after a day's work. According to Ovid, the sun god Apollo drove his chariot across the heavens during the day, bringing light to the world. He sinks back beneath the waves in the evening, an image that had already been extensively used by Louis XIV as an allegory of his reign. Boucher's references to the sculptor Girardon and the painter Jouvenet link Louis XV's role with that of his predecessor and her own position with that of Madame de Maintenon, mistress and secret wife of Louis XIV.
The paintings were shown at the Salon of 1753. An etching by Gabriel de Saint-Aubin shows clearly that the 'Rising' was shown on the left, the 'Setting' on the right. We do not know how exactly the tapestries were arranged in the king's bedroom, but they must have been installed in the corners to either side of the bed. Reactions to the display at the Salon were mixed, but much more positive than is usually claimed. Pompadour kept the paintings - a very unusual arrangement, as cartoons were usually retained by the Gobelins. She exhibited them in the guard room on the ground-floor of Bellevue.
The compositions represent some of the greatest paintings of the mid-eighteenth century anywhere in Europe. Their elaborate compositions effortlessly fuse figures, water, clouds and light. They directly reflect the ideas of the French art critic Roger de Piles who described the importance of the first impression.
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- François Boucher (1703 - 1770)
- The Setting of the Sun
- France
- 1752
- P486
- Grand Staircase
- Bookmarkable URLOf Boucher's spectacular pair showing 'The Rising' and 'The Setting of the Sun', this work was painted first and finished in 1752. Both were commissioned privately by Mme de Pompadour as full-scale models or cartoons for the Gobelin tapestry manufacture. The tapestries, finished in 1754 and 1755 respectively, briefly adorned the king's bedroom in the château de Bellevue, located between Paris and Versailles near Sèvres. This country house was built by Pompadour as a retreat where Louis XV could conduct important political meetings in privacy, away from the strictures of court etiquette.
By the 1750s, Pompadour had assumed the role of political advisor and quasi-minister to Louis XV, a role that is also expressed in the paintings and the tapestries. The nymph Tethys is seen assisting Apollo as he sets out on the chariot of the sun; she welcomes him back after a day's work. According to Ovid, the sun god Apollo drove his chariot across the heavens during the day, bringing light to the world. He sinks back beneath the waves in the evening, an image that had already been extensively used by Louis XIV as an allegory of his reign. Boucher's references to the sculptor Girardon and the painter Jouvenet link Louis XV's role with that of his predecessor and her own position with that of Madame de Maintenon, mistress and secret wife of Louis XIV.
The paintings were shown at the Salon of 1753. An etching by Gabriel de Saint-Aubin shows clearly that the 'Rising' was shown on the left, the 'Setting' on the right. We do not know how exactly the tapestries were arranged in the king's bedroom, but they must have been installed in the corners to either side of the bed. Reactions to the display at the Salon were mixed, but much more positive than is usually claimed. Pompadour kept the paintings - a very unusual arrangement, as cartoons were usually retained by the Gobelins. She exhibited them in the guard room on the ground-floor of Bellevue.
The compositions represent some of the greatest paintings of the mid-eighteenth century anywhere in Europe. Their elaborate compositions effortlessly fuse figures, water, clouds and light. They directly reflect the ideas of the French art critic Roger de Piles who described the importance of the first impression.
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- François Boucher (1703 - 1770)
- Mercury confiding the Infant Bacchus to the Nymphs
- France
- c. 1732–4
- P487
- Grand Staircase
- Bookmarkable URLWhen pregnant with Bacchus, his mother Semele was persuaded by the jealous Juno to insist that Jupiter should visit her as a god, not a mortal. Semele was duly consumed in the heat of her lover’s embrace, but Bacchus was saved and sewn into Jupiter’s thigh by Mercury.
Together with its pendant P484, the painting formed part of a group of works, painted without fee for the lawyer Derbais between c. 1731 and c. 1735. They were hung in Derbais's billiard room and the staircase: the two paintings at the Wallace Collection, a 'Triumph of Venus' (Paris, Romanian Embassy), 'Venus and Vulcan (Paris, Musée du Louvre) and 'Aurora and Cephalus' (Nancy, Musée des Beaux-Arts), as well as four paintings of putti depicting the seasons and probably another overdoor of amors. At that time, Boucher was aiming to build his reputation with potential patrons after his stay in Italy. The canvases greatly impressed contemporaries and were instrumental in establishing the young artist’s reputation as one of the leading history painters of eighteenth-century Paris. The canvas provides a full range of qualities, a learned composition, proficiency of landscape painting, close knowledge of venetian painting, that gave an overview of Boucher's newly acquired skills.
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- Antoine Coysevox (1640 - 1720)
- Louis de Bourbon, Le Grand Condé
- France
- early 19th century
- S163
- Grand Staircase
- Bookmarkable URLSince Antiquity, military heroes have been celebrated for their achievements through the medium of sculpture. In these two busts (S163 and S164), Le Grande Condé and the Vicomte de Turenne, famous French generals of King Louis XIV, are captured in steely and triumphant poses while clad in classically inspired cuirasses and cloaks. Both men were admired for their exploits during the Thirty Years’ War and the Franco-Dutch War and numerous busts were created, most famously by Coysevox. The busts in the Wallace Collection derive from the marble busts of c. 1695 now in the Musée de Condé, Chantilly. These models were believed to be by Jérôme Derbais (1668–1715), but they have been reattributed to Coysevox.
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- Antoine Coysevox (1640 - 1720)
- Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne
- France
- early 19th century
- S164
- Grand Staircase
- Bookmarkable URLSince Antiquity, military heroes have been celebrated for their achievements through the medium of sculpture. In these two busts (S163 and S164), Le Grande Condé and the Vicomte de Turenne, famous French generals of King Louis XIV, are captured in steely and triumphant poses while clad in classically inspired cuirasses and cloaks. Both men were admired for their exploits during the Thirty Years’ War and the Franco-Dutch War and numerous busts were created, most famously by Coysevox. The busts in the Wallace Collection derive from the marble busts of c. 1695 now in the Musée de Condé, Chantilly. These models were believed to be by Jérôme Derbais (1668–1715), but they have been reattributed to Coysevox.