Classical landscape (Orpheus and Eurydice)
Image ID: ART022
An oil painting illustrating the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. A river and several classically dressed figures are in foreground with mountains in distance. Oil on linen / masonite, unsigned and undated. Restored 2016.
Misses Julia and Rose Watson, sisters of Arthur Watson, a founding Forbes Library trustee and long-time president of its board, presented the painting to the Library in 1926. The Watson family thought it the work of eminent 17th century French painter Nicolas Poussin, who favored the Orpheus and Eurydice theme, or perhaps of a close Poussin relative. But a letter from the Director of the Louvre to Forbes Librarian Joseph L. Harrison in July, 1926, clearly refuted such a notion, ("c'est certainement pas de Poussin"), as well as any possible attribution to Gaspard Dughet, Poussin's nephew.
Later art historians believed the painting to be the work of George Loring Brown, a prominent 19th century landscape painter. A more recent appraisal found that it is not Brown either, but definitely of the Franco/Italian School, 18th century.
Reminiscent of Claude Lorraine's 17th century idyllic painting (e.g. "A Pastoral," c. 1650, Yale University Art Gallery), the work combined a theme from antiquity in an almost-recognizable mileu. Recent admirers refer to the large painting as "Orpheus and Eurydice at the Oxbow," placing the classically-garbed figures in a Connecticut River setting. The painting initially was renovated in 1941.
Misses Julia and Rose Watson, sisters of Arthur Watson, a founding Forbes Library trustee and long-time president of its board, presented the painting to the Library in 1926. The Watson family thought it the work of eminent 17th century French painter Nicolas Poussin, who favored the Orpheus and Eurydice theme, or perhaps of a close Poussin relative. But a letter from the Director of the Louvre to Forbes Librarian Joseph L. Harrison in July, 1926, clearly refuted such a notion, ("c'est certainement pas de Poussin"), as well as any possible attribution to Gaspard Dughet, Poussin's nephew.
Later art historians believed the painting to be the work of George Loring Brown, a prominent 19th century landscape painter. A more recent appraisal found that it is not Brown either, but definitely of the Franco/Italian School, 18th century.
Reminiscent of Claude Lorraine's 17th century idyllic painting (e.g. "A Pastoral," c. 1650, Yale University Art Gallery), the work combined a theme from antiquity in an almost-recognizable mileu. Recent admirers refer to the large painting as "Orpheus and Eurydice at the Oxbow," placing the classically-garbed figures in a Connecticut River setting. The painting initially was renovated in 1941.
Image Details
| Dublin Core | |
|---|---|
| Title |
Classical landscape (Orpheus and Eurydice)
|
| Subject |
18th century landscape paintings
Orpheus and Eurydice
Landscape
Oil paintings
|
| Description |
An oil painting illustrating the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. A river and several classically dressed figures are in foreground with mountains in distance. Oil on linen / masonite, unsigned and undated. Restored 2016.
Misses Julia and Rose Watson, sisters of Arthur Watson, a founding Forbes Library trustee and long-time president of its board, presented the painting to the Library in 1926. The Watson family thought it the work of eminent 17th century French painter Nicolas Poussin, who favored the Orpheus and Eurydice theme, or perhaps of a close Poussin relative. But a letter from the Director of the Louvre to Forbes Librarian Joseph L. Harrison in July, 1926, clearly refuted such a notion, ("c'est certainement pas de Poussin"), as well as any possible attribution to Gaspard Dughet, Poussin's nephew. Later art historians believed the painting to be the work of George Loring Brown, a prominent 19th century landscape painter. A more recent appraisal found that it is not Brown either, but definitely of the Franco/Italian School, 18th century. Reminiscent of Claude Lorraine's 17th century idyllic painting (e.g. "A Pastoral," c. 1650, Yale University Art Gallery), the work combined a theme from antiquity in an almost-recognizable mileu. Recent admirers refer to the large painting as "Orpheus and Eurydice at the Oxbow," placing the classically-garbed figures in a Connecticut River setting. The painting initially was renovated in 1941. |
| Format |
Oil on linen/masonite. Gilt frame
|
| Identifier |
ART022
|
| Coverage |
Main stairs
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| Still Image Item Type Metadata | |
|---|---|
| Physical Dimensions |
Frame size:50.25" x 72.5" x 4.5"
39" x 60.75"
|
Citation
“Classical landscape (Orpheus and Eurydice),” Forbes Library Images from the Archives (Legacy site: Pre-2022), accessed May 18, 2024, https://images.forbeslibrary.org/items/show/768.