Metropolitan Museum VIII

Two Men Contemplating the Moon ca. 1825–30 Caspar David Friedrich German Object Details Title: Two Men Contemplating the Moon Artist: Caspar David Friedrich (German, Greifswald 1774–1840 Dresden) Date: ca. 1825–30 Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 13 3/4 x 17 1/4 in. (34.9 x 43.8 cm) Classification: Paintings Credit Line: Wrightsman Fund, 2000 Accession Number: 2000.51 These two figures are seen from behind so that the viewer may participate in their communion with nature. They have been identified as Friedrich, at right, and his friend and disciple August Heinrich (1794–1822). Fascination with the moon ran high among the German Romantics, who regarded the motif as an object of pious contemplation. This is the third version of one of Friedrich’s most famous compositions, of which the first was painted during Heinrich’s lifetime (1819; Gemäldegalerie, Dresden) and the second soon after his death (ca. 1824; Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin). Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/438417

Artist Eugène Delacroix (French, 1798–1863) Title The Natchez Date 1835 Medium Oil on canvas Dimensions 35 1/2 x 46 in. (90.2 x 116.8 cm) Credit Line Purchase, Gifts of George N. and Helen M. Richard and Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. McVeigh and Bequest of Emma A. Sheafer, by exchange, 1989 Accession Number 1989.328 In 1822, the twenty-four-year-old Delacroix noted that he wished to paint characters from Chateaubriand's novel "Atala, ou les amours des deux sauvages dans le désert." He began the painting, but abandoned it until the mid-1830s, when he resumed work on it in order to exhibit it at the Paris Salon of 1835. For the Salon catalogue, Delacroix explained the scene: "Fleeing the massacre of their tribe, two young savages traveled up the Meschacébé (Mississippi River). During the voyage, the young woman was seized by labor pains. The moment is that when the father holds the newborn in his hands, and both regard him tenderly." In Chateaubriand's novel, describing the human wreckage that resulted from the French and Indian War (1754–63) and the ensuing forcible European settlement of Native American lands, the heroine, Atala, begins her tale, saying, "We are the sole remains of the Natchez." In 1822, by the time Delacroix decided on this subject for his picture, a painting by Girodet-Trioson of a different scene from the novel, "The Burial of Atala" (1808, Musée du Louvre, Paris), had been acquired by the French state and hung in the Musée du Luxembourg. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/collection_database/The_Na...

Artist Eugène Delacroix (French, 1798–1863) Title The Natchez Date 1835 Medium Oil on canvas Dimensions 35 1/2 x 46 in. (90.2 x 116.8 cm) Credit Line Purchase, Gifts of George N. and Helen M. Richard and Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. McVeigh and Bequest of Emma A. Sheafer, by exchange, 1989 Accession Number 1989.328 In 1822, the twenty-four-year-old Delacroix noted that he wished to paint characters from Chateaubriand's novel "Atala, ou les amours des deux sauvages dans le désert." He began the painting, but abandoned it until the mid-1830s, when he resumed work on it in order to exhibit it at the Paris Salon of 1835. For the Salon catalogue, Delacroix explained the scene: "Fleeing the massacre of their tribe, two young savages traveled up the Meschacébé (Mississippi River). During the voyage, the young woman was seized by labor pains. The moment is that when the father holds the newborn in his hands, and both regard him tenderly." In Chateaubriand's novel, describing the human wreckage that resulted from the French and Indian War (1754–63) and the ensuing forcible European settlement of Native American lands, the heroine, Atala, begins her tale, saying, "We are the sole remains of the Natchez." In 1822, by the time Delacroix decided on this subject for his picture, a painting by Girodet-Trioson of a different scene from the novel, "The Burial of Atala" (1808, Musée du Louvre, Paris), had been acquired by the French state and hung in the Musée du Luxembourg. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/collection_database/The_Na...

Artist: Eugène Delacroix (French, 1798–1863) Title: Ovid among the Scythians Date: 1862 Medium: Oil on paper laid down on wood Dimensions: 12 5/8 x 19 3/4 in. (32.1 x 50.2 cm) Classification: Paintings Credit Line: Wrightsman Fund, in honor of Philippe de Montebello, 2008 Accession Number: 2008.101 On View Gallery Label: This is one of a number of late easel pictures in which Delacroix returns to themes previously treated in decorative programs. Delacroix may have first contemplated the subject of "Ovid among the Scythians" around 1835; his earliest treatment of it was as a pendentive in his decoration for the Palais Bourbon, Paris. When the largest version of "Ovid among the Scythians" (now in the National Gallery, London) was exhibited at the 1859 Paris Salon, the unusual composition and strange scale of figures provoked criticism in the press, even among Delacroix's admirers (Baudelaire and Gautier, among others), although artists like Edgar Degas were deeply impressed. In this variant, Delacroix diverged from the Salon picture in several respects, integrating figures and landscape more closely. In A.D. 8 Ovid was banished from Rome to the coast of the Black Sea (present day Constant, Romania). He found the Scythian custom of drinking mare's milk unusual. Delacroix took this episode from the French writer Chateaubriand. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/collection_database/europe...

Artist: Eugène Delacroix (French, 1798–1863) Title: Ovid among the Scythians Date: 1862 Medium: Oil on paper laid down on wood Dimensions: 12 5/8 x 19 3/4 in. (32.1 x 50.2 cm) Classification: Paintings Credit Line: Wrightsman Fund, in honor of Philippe de Montebello, 2008 Accession Number: 2008.101 On View Gallery Label: This is one of a number of late easel pictures in which Delacroix returns to themes previously treated in decorative programs. Delacroix may have first contemplated the subject of "Ovid among the Scythians" around 1835; his earliest treatment of it was as a pendentive in his decoration for the Palais Bourbon, Paris. When the largest version of "Ovid among the Scythians" (now in the National Gallery, London) was exhibited at the 1859 Paris Salon, the unusual composition and strange scale of figures provoked criticism in the press, even among Delacroix's admirers (Baudelaire and Gautier, among others), although artists like Edgar Degas were deeply impressed. In this variant, Delacroix diverged from the Salon picture in several respects, integrating figures and landscape more closely. In A.D. 8 Ovid was banished from Rome to the coast of the Black Sea (present day Constant, Romania). He found the Scythian custom of drinking mare's milk unusual. Delacroix took this episode from the French writer Chateaubriand. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/collection_database/europe...

The Abduction of Rebecca, 1846 Eugène Delacroix (French, 1798–1863) Oil on canvas; 39 1/2 x 32 1/4 in. (100.3 x 81.9 cm) Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Collection, Wolfe Fund, 1903 (03.30) Throughout his career, Delacroix was inspired by the novels of Sir Walter Scott, a favorite author of the French Romantics. This painting, shown at the Salon of 1846, depicts a scene from Ivanhoe. Rebecca, who had been confined in Front de Boeuf's castle (seen in flames in the background), was carried off by two Saracen slaves at the command of the Christian knight Bois-Guilbert, who had long coveted her. Delacroix painted a less dramatic version of the subject in 1859 (Musée du Louvre, Paris). Text from: www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/10/euwf/ho_03.30.htm

The Abduction of Rebecca, 1846 Eugène Delacroix (French, 1798–1863) Oil on canvas; 39 1/2 x 32 1/4 in. (100.3 x 81.9 cm) Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Collection, Wolfe Fund, 1903 (03.30) Throughout his career, Delacroix was inspired by the novels of Sir Walter Scott, a favorite author of the French Romantics. This painting, shown at the Salon of 1846, depicts a scene from Ivanhoe. Rebecca, who had been confined in Front de Boeuf's castle (seen in flames in the background), was carried off by two Saracen slaves at the command of the Christian knight Bois-Guilbert, who had long coveted her. Delacroix painted a less dramatic version of the subject in 1859 (Musée du Louvre, Paris). Text from: www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/10/euwf/ho_03.30.htm

The Abduction of Rebecca, 1846 Eugène Delacroix (French, 1798–1863) Oil on canvas; 39 1/2 x 32 1/4 in. (100.3 x 81.9 cm) Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Collection, Wolfe Fund, 1903 (03.30) Throughout his career, Delacroix was inspired by the novels of Sir Walter Scott, a favorite author of the French Romantics. This painting, shown at the Salon of 1846, depicts a scene from Ivanhoe. Rebecca, who had been confined in Front de Boeuf's castle (seen in flames in the background), was carried off by two Saracen slaves at the command of the Christian knight Bois-Guilbert, who had long coveted her. Delacroix painted a less dramatic version of the subject in 1859 (Musée du Louvre, Paris). Text from: www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/10/euwf/ho_03.30.htm

Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Grounds ca. 1825 Object Details Title: Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Grounds Artist: John Constable (British, East Bergholt 1776–1837 Hampstead) Date: ca. 1825 Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 34 5/8 x 44 in. (87.9 x 111.8 cm) Classification: Paintings Credit Line: Bequest of Mary Stillman Harkness, 1950 Accession Number: 50.145.8 This painting was made as a full-scale study for the picture of 1826 now in the Frick Collection, New York. The latter picture was completed for Constable’s friend John Fisher, bishop of Salisbury, who appears at lower left in both canvases. In fact the commission dates back to 1822; in the course of working on the composition, Constable opened up the tree canopy and added a sunny sky to frame the cathedral’s medieval spire, the tallest in England. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435922

Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Grounds ca. 1825 Object Details Title: Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Grounds Artist: John Constable (British, East Bergholt 1776–1837 Hampstead) Date: ca. 1825 Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 34 5/8 x 44 in. (87.9 x 111.8 cm) Classification: Paintings Credit Line: Bequest of Mary Stillman Harkness, 1950 Accession Number: 50.145.8 This painting was made as a full-scale study for the picture of 1826 now in the Frick Collection, New York. The latter picture was completed for Constable’s friend John Fisher, bishop of Salisbury, who appears at lower left in both canvases. In fact the commission dates back to 1822; in the course of working on the composition, Constable opened up the tree canopy and added a sunny sky to frame the cathedral’s medieval spire, the tallest in England. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435922

Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Grounds ca. 1825 Object Details Title: Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Grounds Artist: John Constable (British, East Bergholt 1776–1837 Hampstead) Date: ca. 1825 Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 34 5/8 x 44 in. (87.9 x 111.8 cm) Classification: Paintings Credit Line: Bequest of Mary Stillman Harkness, 1950 Accession Number: 50.145.8 This painting was made as a full-scale study for the picture of 1826 now in the Frick Collection, New York. The latter picture was completed for Constable’s friend John Fisher, bishop of Salisbury, who appears at lower left in both canvases. In fact the commission dates back to 1822; in the course of working on the composition, Constable opened up the tree canopy and added a sunny sky to frame the cathedral’s medieval spire, the tallest in England. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435922

Title: Saltash with the Water Ferry, Cornwall Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner (British, London 1775–1851 London) Date: 1811 Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 35 3/8 x 47 1/2 in. (89.9 x 120.7 cm) Classification: Paintings Credit Line: Marquand Collection, Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1889 Accession Number: 89.15.9 This picture is a product of Turner's journey to the west of England in summer 1811. Saltash is an old market town in Cornwall, across the Tamar River from Devonport and Plymouth, and is the site of a centuries-old ferry service. Turner evoked the commerce at Saltash through the boats, packhorses, and people assembled along the muddy shore. The leading British art critic John Ruskin described the painting in a letter of 1852 as "what the mind sees when it looks for poetry in humble actual life." Although the sky is damaged, the lower half of the painting is well preserved. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437852

Title: Saltash with the Water Ferry, Cornwall Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner (British, London 1775–1851 London) Date: 1811 Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 35 3/8 x 47 1/2 in. (89.9 x 120.7 cm) Classification: Paintings Credit Line: Marquand Collection, Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1889 Accession Number: 89.15.9 This picture is a product of Turner's journey to the west of England in summer 1811. Saltash is an old market town in Cornwall, across the Tamar River from Devonport and Plymouth, and is the site of a centuries-old ferry service. Turner evoked the commerce at Saltash through the boats, packhorses, and people assembled along the muddy shore. The leading British art critic John Ruskin described the painting in a letter of 1852 as "what the mind sees when it looks for poetry in humble actual life." Although the sky is damaged, the lower half of the painting is well preserved. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437852

Title: Saltash with the Water Ferry, Cornwall Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner (British, London 1775–1851 London) Date: 1811 Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 35 3/8 x 47 1/2 in. (89.9 x 120.7 cm) Classification: Paintings Credit Line: Marquand Collection, Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1889 Accession Number: 89.15.9 This picture is a product of Turner's journey to the west of England in summer 1811. Saltash is an old market town in Cornwall, across the Tamar River from Devonport and Plymouth, and is the site of a centuries-old ferry service. Turner evoked the commerce at Saltash through the boats, packhorses, and people assembled along the muddy shore. The leading British art critic John Ruskin described the painting in a letter of 1852 as "what the mind sees when it looks for poetry in humble actual life." Although the sky is damaged, the lower half of the painting is well preserved. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437852

Title: Saltash with the Water Ferry, Cornwall Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner (British, London 1775–1851 London) Date: 1811 Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 35 3/8 x 47 1/2 in. (89.9 x 120.7 cm) Classification: Paintings Credit Line: Marquand Collection, Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1889 Accession Number: 89.15.9 This picture is a product of Turner's journey to the west of England in summer 1811. Saltash is an old market town in Cornwall, across the Tamar River from Devonport and Plymouth, and is the site of a centuries-old ferry service. Turner evoked the commerce at Saltash through the boats, packhorses, and people assembled along the muddy shore. The leading British art critic John Ruskin described the painting in a letter of 1852 as "what the mind sees when it looks for poetry in humble actual life." Although the sky is damaged, the lower half of the painting is well preserved. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437852

Title: Whalers Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner (British, London 1775–1851 London) Date: ca. 1845 Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 36 1/8 x 48 1/4 in. (91.8 x 122.6 cm) Classification: Paintings Credit Line: Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Collection, Wolfe Fund, 1896 Accession Number: 96.29 Turner was seventy years old when Whalers debuted to mixed reviews at the Royal Academy exhibition of 1845. Its subject proved elusive, as the English novelist William Thackeray observed: "That is not a smear of purple you see yonder, but a beautiful whale, whose tail has just slapped a half-dozen whale-boats into perdition; and as for what you fancied to be a few zig-zag lines spattered on the canvas at hap-hazard, look! they turn out to be a ship with all her sails." Apparently Turner undertook the painting—which was returned to him—for the collector Elhanan Bicknell, who had made his fortune in the whale-oil business. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437854

Title: Whalers Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner (British, London 1775–1851 London) Date: ca. 1845 Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 36 1/8 x 48 1/4 in. (91.8 x 122.6 cm) Classification: Paintings Credit Line: Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Collection, Wolfe Fund, 1896 Accession Number: 96.29 Turner was seventy years old when Whalers debuted to mixed reviews at the Royal Academy exhibition of 1845. Its subject proved elusive, as the English novelist William Thackeray observed: "That is not a smear of purple you see yonder, but a beautiful whale, whose tail has just slapped a half-dozen whale-boats into perdition; and as for what you fancied to be a few zig-zag lines spattered on the canvas at hap-hazard, look! they turn out to be a ship with all her sails." Apparently Turner undertook the painting—which was returned to him—for the collector Elhanan Bicknell, who had made his fortune in the whale-oil business. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437854

Artist: Joséphine Sarazin de Belmont (French, Versailles 1790–1870 Paris) Title: The Roman Theater, Taormina Date: 1825 Medium: Oil on paper laid down on board Dimensions: 16 3/8 x 22 5/8 in. (41.6 x 57.5 cm) Classification: Paintings Credit Line: Thaw Collection, Jointly Owned by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Morgan Library & Museum, Gift of Eugene V. Thaw, 2009 Accession Number: 2009.400.102 Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/collection_database/europe...