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1 of 253523 objects
The Origin of the Pierian Spring c. 1660-80
Brown, red, and white oil paint on paper | 25.1 x 28.7 cm (sheet of paper) | RCIN 903858
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A drawing of three muses holding musical instruments as they sit by a pool fed by a spring which Pegasus, rearing behind them, has created. In the foreground two swans drink from the pool. In Greek mythology, an inspiring spring burst forth wherever Pegasus, the winged horse, struck his hoof. One of these, the Pierian Spring, believed to be the home and the seat of the worship of Orpheus, was sacred to the muses. Hesiod relates how Pegasus was peacefully drinking from the Pierian Spring when the hero Bellerophon captured him, and eventually tamed him. A similar use of dabs of bright red paint on the cheeks occurs in RCIN 903893 and suggests that these drawings are probably of about the same date.
Provenance
Probably Carlo II and Fernandino-Carlo Gonzaga, 9th and 10th Dukes of Mantua; Zaccaria Sagredo; from whose heirs purchased by Joseph Smith, British Consul in Venice, 1752; from whom purchased by George III, 1762
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Creator(s)
Previously attributed to the studio of (artist)Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Brown, red, and white oil paint on paper
Measurements
25.1 x 28.7 cm (sheet of paper)