Aeneas, the Sibyl and Charon
around 1695/1705 | Giuseppe Maria Crespi, gen. Lo Spagnuolo
Aeneas, the hero of Virgil’s epic poem the Aeneid, a refugee from Troy and the founder of Rome, is guided by the Sibyl of Cumae to the underworld. A golden bough that she holds in her hand opens the entrance. Charon, who ferries the deceased across the rivers of the underworld, takes the two of them in his boat to the gate of Hades. Like “The Centaur Chiron and Achilles” (Inv. No. GG 270) this picture was used as a sopraporta in one of the state rooms of Prince Eugene’s winter palace in Vienna.
Aeneas, the hero of Virgil’s epic poem the Aeneid, a refugee from Troy and the founder of Rome, is guided by the Sibyl of Cumae to the underworld. A golden bough that she holds in her hand opens the entrance. Charon, who ferries the deceased across the rivers of the underworld, takes the two of them in his boat to the gate of Hades. Like “The Centaur Chiron and Achilles” (Inv. No. GG 270) this picture was used as a sopraporta in one of the state rooms of Prince Eugene’s winter palace in Vienna.
Artist:
Giuseppe Maria Crespi, gen. Lo Spagnuolo (1665 - 1747 Bologna) DNB
Time:
around 1695/1705
Object Name
Painting
Culture
Italian, Emilian
Material/technology:
Canvas
Dimensions:
130 cm x 127 cm x 4 cm
Framed: 157,5 cm x 153,5 cm x 10 cm
Copyright
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie
Invs.
Gemäldegalerie, 306
Provenance
Supraporte from the furnishings of the City Palace of Prince Eugene of Savoy in Vienna I (Parade Room); acquired 1736