Jupiter and Antiope (Watteau)
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| Jupiter and Antiope |
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| Antoine Watteau , around 1714–1719 |
| Oil on canvas |
| 73 × 107.5 cm |
| Louvre |
Jupiter and Antiope (Jupiter et Antiope) is a painting by the French painter Antoine Watteau . It is also known by the name Satyr and Sleeping Nymph (Nymphe et Satyre) and was probably painted between 1714 and 1719. Today the oil painting, originally intended as an overhead door, hangs in the Musée du Louvre in Paris .
Image description
The picture has an oval format with a width of 107.5 and a height of 73 centimeters. It shows Antiope sleeping and naked in the foreground . She lies with her head pointing to the left edge of the picture on the right side of her body and thus turns her body towards the viewer. Her right arm is bent under her head, while her left arm hangs in a chasm that opens up directly in front of the woman. The arm covers the right breast , the left one is free. The legs at the pelvis are angled almost 90 degrees towards the viewer, the right one runs parallel to the woman's body from the knee, while the left one points only slightly bent back towards the lower right edge of the picture. The entire body is designed in pale skin colors and for this reason shines out of the otherwise very dark, earthy image. Below the sleeper there is a cloth that hangs over the edge of the abyss at chest height, disappears under the arm at head height and is pulled out from behind the head by the satyr.
The satyr , whose head is wreathed with vine leaves pointing to the periphery of the god Bacchus , lies in the opposite direction behind the woman, his body also facing the viewer. With his right hand he reaches for the handkerchief at Antiope's shoulder, and it is obvious that he has just uncovered the sleeping woman. His left arm is angled on a tree root on the right edge of the picture and supports the upper body. The satyr bends his head and upper body over the hips of the sleeper to look at them - at the same time he shows his tongue lustfully. The abdomen can no longer be seen below the hips, which are still vaguely recognizable. The satyr is depicted in shades of brown. His sun-tanned skin and muscular body are a clear contrast to the soft-looking, brightly designed Antiope.
The lower edge of the picture forms an abyss, which is kept in a dark brown tone and shows the open ground. On both sides, gnarled roots grow into the ground, which expand into hardly recognizable trees on both sides of the picture. The ground merges over the trees in the background, which represents a hilly landscape with isolated residential buildings. Above that lies the cloudy sky, which dawn subtly illuminates the scene.
The image composition is coordinated with the oval. The sleeping Antiope forms the central horizontal line, while her pelvis and bent legs define the central vertical line. The arms of the satyr and the legs of the woman each form parallel, curved lines to the upper border of the picture, the left forearm of the satyr and the extension through Antiope's right leg run parallel to the lower edge of the picture - in this way, the two central figures are in her composition represents another oval within the picture, broken only by the woman's stretched left arm. Spatial depth is also created by the leaning forward figure of Jupiter and by Antiope's leg posture.
Mythological background and reception in art
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- Main articles: Jupiter and Antiope
The picture is based on the story of the seduction of Antiopes by the god father Zeus from Greek mythology, later replaced by Jupiter in Roman mythology . Antiope, the beautiful daughter of King Nykteus of Thebes , was, following this myth, surprised and seduced by Zeus in the form of a satyr in his sleep. She became pregnant and gave birth to the twins Amphion and Zethos , who later killed the brother Nykteus', Lykos , in revenge for his dealings with Antiope and took over the city of Thebes.
Satyr and nymph
Satyrs and nymphs represent two extremes in Greek mythology that are only similar in their instinctuality. While the nymph gave its name to nymphomania (pathological sex addiction ) in psychiatry , the term satyriasis , which was also used in the past but is now outdated, is derived from the Greek satyr and characterizes the male counterpart.
Accordingly, both nymphs and satyrs in mythology - and based on this also in artistic reception - are very often depicted in a clearly erotic context and are accordingly popular objects in the performing arts. There is also the obvious aesthetic contrast between the two stereotypes : the nymph is generally very beautiful and physically perfectly built. She is usually depicted with ivory-colored, pale and therefore very delicate skin and an ideal female body, and in this respect resembles the depictions of Venus . The satyrs who are followers of Bacchus, on the other hand, are mostly ugly. They have characteristics of the billy goat , such as horns on the head, goat legs and at least partially a fur. They're also strong, muscular, and sunburned. Compared to the nymph, the satyr represents an optical contrast that can hardly be stronger, making them a perfect pair for artistic representation.
Origin and classification in the overall work
As shown in the provenance , the circumstances surrounding the creation of the picture have not been finally clarified (see below). In art history literature, the prevailing assumption is that the picture was made as a commissioned work for the financier Pierre Crozat and under the guidance of his teacher Charles de La Fosse in the context of the Seasons series consisting of four paintings . La Fosse encouraged Watteau, who had previously been inexperienced in history painting, to accept the allegory of the seasons as a commission, as he was no longer able to do so himself. The seasons should be painted in an oval shape with mythological half-nudes as a decoration for Crozat's dining room.
In parallel to this series, Watteau created a number of other paintings which thematically dealt with the theme of mythological nudes and which fitted them into the oval format, which was unusual for the time. First he painted a series of history pictures in the classic format based on the models of Italian and Dutch classics, then, in addition to Jupiter and Antiope and the seasons, three other pictures in oval format were created : another autumn motif, Venus disarms Cupid and the morning toilet.
The paintings of the same name by Antonio da Correggio and Tizian and the Descent from the Cross by the Dutch painter Anthony van Dyck are usually named as models for the painting Jupiter and Antiope . The position of the satyr's arm is taken from the latter.
In preparation for the picture Jupiter and Antiope , Watteau made at least three drawings in which he tried to depict the satyr. It was a drawing of the satyr in a standing position and a satyr drawing in the later chosen lying position. No sketches are known to depict Antiope, but Watteau drew a large number of female nudes and positional studies in advance that he could fall back on for the picture. A drawing that has been lost today finally showed the overall picture and served the engraver Anne-Claude-Philippe, Comte de Caylus as a template for a copper engraving that was first published by Jules de Jullienne .
Watteau takes up the theme of the sleeping nymph again in his painting The Elysean Fields from around 1719 , a scene from the gardens of the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Here a stone copy of Antiope crowns the base on the right edge of the picture as a monument in the kind of "living sculpture" typical of Watteau. Directly above a gallantly dressed man ( Hagestolz ) who is depicted only from behind and who is looking at the scenery as part of a group of people depicted in the foreground (Watteau also painted the same group of figures in the painting Rural Pleasure around 1720, but here below a sculpture of Venus). According to Börsch-Supan, the pride of the hag is the exact opposite of the lascivious satyr - he neither pays special attention to the figure on the pedestal nor to the women in front of him.
Provenance
The history of the picture after it was created has not yet been fully clarified, especially the provenance before 1857 still leaves some open questions.
Watteau probably painted the picture as a commissioned work for the businessman Pierre Crozat, for whom he also created the seasons series, which was created around the same time. This is asserted in an exhibition catalog from Vienna in 1966 and is still the most widely accepted hypothesis in art history, but it has not yet been proven.
In 1857, at the auction of the Theodore Patureau collection, the painting appeared for the first time in an exhibition catalog that was listed as the former property of Prince Paul d'Arenberg . In the early 18th century, Watteau actually had close friendly contact with the ancestors of the prince, and according to a receipt signed by Watteau on May 14, 1717, he had sold two paintings to Leopold Philipp von Arenberg . In their book Jean de Juliennes et les graveurs de Watteau au XVIII e siècle from 1929 E. Herold and A. Vuaflart assume that Jupiter and Antiope could have been one of these two paintings and develop the theory that de Ligne is the picture Ordered around 1714 on a trip to Paris and had it picked up and paid for three years later. However, this theory is largely rejected today.
How the picture came into Paturae's possession can no longer be traced; he probably bought it privately from Prince Paul d'Arenberg. In 1864 the Baron James de Rothschild bought the picture and had it auctioned again in March 1868 by the art dealer Bourlon de Sarty . It was bought by Louis La Caze , who died in 1869 and left it to the Louvre in Paris. The picture hangs there to this day.
Conservation status and changes
The state of preservation of the picture is relatively poor. With the help of X-rays, cracks were found, especially in the area of the sky and at the edges. The investigations also showed that the Antiope had initially worn a chamois in the picture , which was later removed. However, it is not certain whether the chamois and perhaps also the subsequent overpainting was done by Watteau himself. Later additions and deletions are also possible. The x-rays and especially Watteau's sketches and the copperplate engraving by Watteau's contemporary Comte de Caylus at least show that the satyr was painted by Watteau, which was also controversial before. Likewise, the assumption that the last private owner of the picture, Louis La Caze, made changes to the picture has now been rebutted.
Copies
The painting Jupiter and Antiope was copied and traded many times after its creation. The Louvre keeps two copies by unknown artists in the Service d'Etudes et de Documentation .
The aforementioned copper engraving by Comte de Caylus was created while Watteau was still alive and was added to the Figures de différents caractères collection by Jean de Jullienne . It was not based on the painting, however, but, like most of his engravings, on a drawing by Watteau, which has now been lost. A drawing based on the painting exists by Gabriel de Saint-Aubin , which can be seen today at the Art Institute of Chicago .
In 1890, the French painter Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer painted a view of Watteau's studio that he invented, showing Jupiter and Antiope as one of the pictures on the walls. Another picture in which the painting appears as part of the composition was painted by Édouard Vuillard in 1922, entitled Salle La Caze . Ernest Laurent copied the picture as a grisaille and in 1966 Claude Schurr created a free, modern interpretation of the painting.
Others
Patrick Süskind's novel Das Parfum has been showing an excerpt from Jupiter and Antiope with the armpit of the naked sleeper on the cover of the Diogenes Verlag since 1985 . As a symbol of fragrant seduction, this should show the central theme of the novel. Except for the US paperback edition, where it is forbidden to depict a female nipple, all front pages have the same cover image.
In July 1971, the Paraguay Post Office also issued a stamp with the motif of the sleeping nymph.
Literature and further information
Remarks
Most of the information in this article is taken from the works listed under literature; the following sources are also cited:
- ^ Section after Eva Gesine Baur : Masterpieces of erotic art. Dumont Verlag, Cologne 1995; Pages 58-64. ISBN 3-7701-3599-7
- ^ After Grasselli, Rosenberg 1985
- ^ Helmut Börsch-Supan : Antoine Watteau 1684–1721. Könemann Verlagsgesellschaft, Cologne 2000; Pages 95 and 98. ISBN 3-8290-1630-1
- ↑ E. Herold and A. Vuaflart: Jean de Julienne et les graveurs de Watteau au XVIII e siècle. Vol. 1: Notices et documents biographique. Paris 1929; taken from Graselli and Rosenberg 1985
- ^ Provenance according to Graselli and Rosenberg 1985
- ^ Marianne Roland Michel: Watteau. Prestel Verlag, Munich - 1984; ISBN 3-7913-0681-2 ; Pages 294-296
literature
- Donald Posner: Antoine Watteau. Verlag Frölich & Kaufmann, Berlin 1984. ISBN 3-88725-059-1
- Margaret Morgan Grasselli, Pierre Rosenberg : Watteau 1684-1721. Administration of the State Palaces and Gardens Berlin, Berlin 1985. ISBN 3-87584-144-1
