Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret: Ophelia
Saturday, March 31, 2018
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Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Danae (1900)
Carolus-Duran: Danäe
Danäe is depicted here locked away from the reach of all men by her father - well, almost - and down from the roof comes Zeus in the shower of gold.
In Greek myth, Danäe was the royal daughter of Acrisius, an ancient king of Argos. After an oracle warned her father that Danäe's son would someday kill him, Acrisius had his daughter shut up inside a sealed room, atop an impenetrable bronze tower, away from all men. However, Zeus -- the amorous and all-powerful king of gods - desired Danäe. He came to her through the roof of the sealed chamber, in the form of a shower of gold that poured down into her lap. As a result of this union, Danäe had a son - Perseus - the hero who later took on the chilling Medusa. [John Singer Sargent Virtual Gallery]
Monday, March 26, 2018
Friday, March 23, 2018
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Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Monday, March 19, 2018
Vercingetorix throws down his arms (1899)
Lionel-Noël Royer: Vercingetorix throws down his arms at the feet of Julius Caesar
Sunday, March 18, 2018
Saturday, March 17, 2018
Friday, March 16, 2018
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Monday, March 5, 2018
Mademoiselle Fifi (1898)
Ernest-Jean Delahaye: Mademoiselle Fifi
As described on the frame plaque, this painting illustrates a pivotal moment in Guy de Maupassant’s short story, Mademoiselle Fifi (1822), set during the Franco Prussian War. A group of German officers lodged far away from the fighting in a chateau in Normandy have become exceedingly bored after days of drinking, gambling, and destroying paintings. Thus, the Captain—whose soldiers have nicknamed “Mademoiselle Fifi”—arranges for women to entertain his fellow comrades at a dinner party. After an evening of “Fifi” and his officers praising German military power and disparaging France and its women, Rachel rebukes him. As he lifts his hand, she swiftly and fatally stabs “Mademoiselle Fifi” with a dessert knife without anyone noticing—the dramatic moment captured in the present work. The story continues with her jumping out of a window and running to a nearby church where she rings its bell until the day of armistice, signaling her own victory over the Germans. [Sotheby's]
