Venus and Cupid with their Chariots with a Scene of Zeus
1887.095
Name/Title
Venus and Cupid with their Chariots with a Scene of ZeusEntry/Object ID
1887.095Tags
Consult expertDescription
Venus and Cupid are shown with Iris, the goddess of the rainbow and messenger of the Olympian gods. The scene at the bottom of the picture is the abduction of Europa by Zeus, who has disguised himself as a white bull. There are a total of six such works in the Saint Vincent Art Collections. They appear to be by the same hand, and all of them appear to be either drawings of existing ceiling murals, or drawings for proposed murals. A strong argument can be made that they are proposals by comparing the remarkable similarity of the main composition and the slight variations in the details. Venus and Cupid are shown with Iris, the goddess of the rainbow and messenger of the Olympian gods. The scene at the bottom of the picture is the abduction of Europa by Zeus, who has disguised himself as a white bull. There are a total of six such works in the Saint Vincent Art Collections, four of which are in this exhibition (see also Nos. 2, 3 and 4 below). They appear to be by the same hand, and all of them appear to be either drawings of existing ceiling murals, or drawings for proposed murals. A strong argument can be made that they are proposals by comparing the remarkable similarity of the main composition and the slight variations in the details that can be found by studying Nos. 2 and 3 (below). All six of the drawings are quite similar in style and subject matter to works produced by the Wessobrunner School in early 18th century southern Germany. The most famous member of this school was Johann Baptist Zimmerman (1680-1758), and the works in this exhibition are similar to his known works done for various palaces, such as the Ismaning, Schleissheim and Nymphenburg palaces. It is interesting to note that there may be another connection, as the Nymphenburg Palace was one of the main residences of the Bavarian Royal Family, in particular King Ludwig I who was the principle benefactor of Archabbot Boniface Wimmer for the foundation of Saint Vincent Archabbey. All six of the drawings are quite similar in style and subject matter to works produced by the Wessobrunner School in early 18th century southern Germany. The most famous member of this school was Johann Baptist Zimmerman (1680-1758), and the works in this exhibition are similar to his known works done for various palaces, such as the Ismaning, Schleissheim and Nymphenburg palaces. It is interesting to note that there may be another connection, as the Nymphenburg Palace was one of the main residences of the Bavarian Royal Family, in particular King Ludwig I who was the principle benefactor of Archabbot Boniface Wimmer for the foundation of Saint Vincent Archabbey.Artwork Details
Medium
Paper, Pen and Ink with white highlights on blue washCollection
Archabbey-European Prints and DrawingsCataloged By
ChristopherAcquisition
Accession
1887.095Acquisition Method
Found in CollectionMade/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Unknown (in the manner of Johann Baptist Zimmermann)Role
ArtistDate made
1700 - 1725Notes
Date: early 18th century Artist's School: Wessobrunner School Technique: DrawingEthnography
Culture/Tribe
Northern European