|
Date: |
|
Description: | 110.0 x 127.0 'Consul Smith' frame. This is a Venetian panel frame of a type reg CRE ZUCCARELLI, Francesco; (Italian; 1702-1788) This painting comes from the founder, Dr. Hunter's collection. The Florentine Francesco Zuccarelli was among the first Royal Academicians appointed in 1768, and so we can be sure that he and Hunter knew each other: they can be seen together in Zoffany's Life Class painting of 1771 (Royal Collection). Hunter's taste drew him towards contemporary art, including works by Italians whom he knew personally. Zuccarelli created a delicate, nostalgic version of earlier Italian landscape painting. Here he peoples his classical landscape in a rather conventional way with the mythological story of Actaeon, the huntsman who accidentally encounters Diana and her nymphs, and as punishment is torn apart by his own dogs (Ovid, Metamorphoses, III). The high tone of the sunlit parts of the receding landscape has been lost due to the darkening of a green pigment.
The painting has a pendant, a Landscape with Hercules Slaying the Centaur Nessus (GLAHA 43845). They were apparently not bought directly from the artist. In 1762, Zuccarelli organized a sale which included a pair of landscapes possibly matching Hunter's. However, a clue to Hunter's source is to be found in the frame for this painting, which is a Venetian 'panel frame', a type regularly used by Joseph Smith (c1674-1770). Consul Smith was an English diplomat and banker based in Venice who was also an important collector and art dealer. In addition to being Canaletto's agent, Smith sold a vast collection of paintings, drawings, books and gems to George III in 1763-4. Smith was known to Hunter as a book collector and dealer, and in Hunter's library were several printed books and illuminated manuscripts which had belonged to Smith. Glasgow Museums has a version/copy signed H.B. | License: | http://www.hmag.gla.ac.uk/spirit/rights/ | Publisher: | Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, University of Glasgow | Rights holder: | Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, University of Glasgow | Subjects: | GREEK MYTHOLOGY : CLASSICAL : HUNTING SCENE : OVID METAMORPHOSES : DEER : WATERFALL : FIGURE : MALE : FEMALE : HUNTER 2007 : NIRP2005 : NIRP2005 : | Source: | Hunterian Museum | Creator: | Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, University of Glasgow | Identifier: | http://www.huntsearch.gla.ac.uk/cgi-bin/... | Language: | en-GB | Go to resource |
|
|