I visited Gubbio, Italy in November last year (2018) and spent some time in the Palazzo dei Consoli Civic Museum. The museum is impressive. It holds the Eugubine tablets, keys to deciphering the Umbrian language, and an extensive collection of archeological and religious artifacts. Tucked away in a small room in one of its many…
Tag: myth
Satyr Watching Nymphs Dancing
Satyr watching Some Nymphs Dancing, Josep Maria Sert, 1913, Spain. Black and silver grisaille on canvas panel. This panel was part of the painted scheme that Josep María Sert produced for the decoration of Kent House owned by Sir Saxton Noble in Knightsbridge, London. It forms a pair with Apollo flying through the Clouds, also in the Colección…
Exploring the Myth of Jupiter and Antiope (Part III)
Antiope by Michael Field (Pseud. for Katharine Bradley and Edith Cooper) NOONTIDE’S whiteness of full sun Illumes her sleep ; Its heat is on her limbs and one White arm with sweep Of languor falls around her head : She cuddles on the lap of earth ; While almost dead Asleep, forgetful of his mirth, A…
Sleeping Diana Watched by Two Fauns
Arnold Böcklin (1877/85) The contrast between the bright luminescent Goddess of Hunting Diana, champion of chasteness, and the in part lecherous, in part fearful furry fauns watching her could hardly be greater. Their hands almost meet in the center of the canvas, but the rear faun just manages to hold back his companion in time….
Hymn of Pan by Shelley
Hymn of Pan By Percy Bysshe Shelley From the forests and highlands We come, we come; From the river-girt islands, Where loud waves are dumb Listening to my sweet pipings. The wind in the reeds and the rushes, The bees on the bells of thyme, The birds on the myrtle bushes, The cicale above…
Exploring the Myth of Jupiter and Antiope (Part II)
Jupiter’s seduction of Antiope is a frequent theme in western painting and has been treated by Titian, Van Dyck, Watteau, and David among others. They are based on the story of the seduction of Antiope by the god Zeus in Greek mythology, later imported into Roman mythology and told of the god Jupiter. According to this…
Exploring the Myth of Jupiter and Antiope (Part I)
The story of Jupiter and Antiope is often used in art. Antiope was a beautiful girl, whom Jupiter, in the form of a satyr, wooed and won. She is usually represented as sleeping after her exertions in the Maenad dances, when approached by the Olympian king. The two most famous pictures dealing with the legend…
Satyr Playing the Pipe (Jupiter’s Childhood)
Jacob Jordaens c.1639 In the foreground stands the powerful figure of a satyr playing the flute with a melancholy air in an arcadian environment. This type of vigorous and naked figure, related to the classical and mythological world, is a recurring theme in Jordaens’ work. This painting highlights the skill of the painter. Long vibrant brushstrokes…
Frisky Satyr 