Lot Details
Lot 1015
Circle of Giovanni Paolo Panini
Antique Figures among Ruins (Achilles and Penthesilea)
Oil on canvas
53 1/4 x 37 3/4 inches (135.2 x 96 cm)
Provenance:
Private collection, Belle Meade, TN, acquired circa 1944
By descent in the family to the present owner
Private collection, New York
In Greek mythology, Penthesilea was an Amazon queen greatly renowned for her valor, who accidently killed her sister while they were hunting. To atone for her sister's death, she traveled to Troy to fight against the Greeks during the Trojan War. Although various versions of her legend can be found in Greek and Roman literature, all of them agree that she was killed in battle by the Greek hero Achilles. Most of these accounts also say that as she was dying, Achilles fell in love with her. These tragic events clearly appealed to the romantic imagination of the ancient world, since they were told repeatedly by poets and historians throughout the classical age, and were often depicted in both Greek and Roman art. This 18th-century painting revives the story once again as a vignette in a capriccio of ruins.
C
Additional Notes & Condition Report
Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client, is an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact and Doyle New York shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. Please contact the specialist department to request further information or additional images that may be available.
No condition report? Click here to request one.