This fine oil painting depicts a classical motif, showing a young woman seated forlorn upon a rock. The woman wears dress typical of the Greek revival period and flowers in her long dark hair. The artist has used a deep, rich colour palette to capture the darkness of the night time, contrasting it with the illuminated woman and distant moon.
The imagery of the moon and a mourning goddess resembles the story of Endymion and Selene from Greek mythology. Endymion was loved by Selene, goddess of the moon, who visited him every night while he slept in a cave of Mount Latmus in Caria. Many versions of their love story result in Zeus putting Endymion into an eternal sleep to grant Selene's wish of gifting him eternal youth and beauty. The goddess would continue to visit him in his cave to watch in sleep for the rest of eternity. While Selene is typically depicted with a moon on her head, the flowers represent the fragility of life and fleeting moments of youth, which are very fitting to this mythological tale.
Unsigned,. Presented in a glazed gilt frame with a gilt slip.
On board .The condition is typical for a picture of this age including some discolouration. Dome slight wear to the painting's varnish. There is a small loss of paint to the lower border.
27 x 22cm (10.6" x 8.7")
| SKU | qp454 |
|---|---|
| Date | Mid 19th Century |
| Dimensions | 27 x 22cm |
| Medium | Oil |
| Style | Classical |
| Subject | Portrait |
| Item Returns | This item can be returned |
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