NARRATOR:
This canvas by Francesco Trevisani recounts the story of Apelles, court painter to Alexander the Great, and the emperor’s favorite mistress. In 77 BC, the Roman poet Pliny recounted that Alexander had shown his admiration for Apelles by asking him to paint a nude picture of his concubine, Campaspe:
PLINY (ACTOR):
“The artist while so engaged, fell in love with her; upon which, Alexander, … made him a present of her, thus showing himself… a great king in courage… For in thus conquering himself, not only did he sacrifice his passions in favor of the artist, but even his affections as well.”
NARRATOR:
The noble Alexander is on the left here, in a magnificent red mantle, pointing at the nude Campaspe. Her pose turns her face to the emperor, but her body faces Apelles, who sits at his easel painting her. Light bathes her flawless skin set off by white, translucent drapery.
In the early 18th century, Trevisani ranked as one of the foremost painters in Rome. He later abandoned dramatic compositions such as this in favour of a glossy classicism that befitted the conservative tastes of the Roman elite.
Apelles Painting Campaspe
c. 1720-30
Francesco Trevisani (Italian, 1656-1746)
Not on View
Pliny the Elder wrote that Campaspe was the favorite mistress of Alexander the Great, and that Apelles was his favorite painter. Alexander asked him to paint a full-length portrait of Campaspe nude. In so doing, Apelles fell in love with her. Seeing this, Alexander gave up his mistress to the painter. The idea behind Alexander’s gesture is that love inspired by beauty is most appreciated by the one who discerns it best. This story was embraced by painters to demonstrate that they were the best judges of beauty.
Details
- Artist Name: Francesco Trevisani (Italian, 1656-1746)
- Title: Apelles Painting Campaspe
- Date: c. 1720-30
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 29-3/8 x 23-7/8 in. (74.6 x 60.6 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1968.11.16.P
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
Paul Briegleb, Munich, sold 6 June 1957 to;
[Julius Boehler, Munich, sold July, 1959 to];
[Elisabeth M. Drey, London.]
Morris I. Kaplan, Chicago, by 1960 (sale, London, Sotheby’s, 12 June 1968, lot 99, ill., to);
The Norton Simon Foundation.
[Julius Boehler, Munich, sold July, 1959 to];
[Elisabeth M. Drey, London.]
Morris I. Kaplan, Chicago, by 1960 (sale, London, Sotheby’s, 12 June 1968, lot 99, ill., to);
The Norton Simon Foundation.
[on loan]
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1969-09-22 to
- Waterhouse, Ellis K., Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies, pp. 12-13
- DiFederico, Frank R., Francesco Trevisani, Eighteenth-Century Painter in Rome: A Catalogue Raisonné,no. 33, pl. 27
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best,2010, cat. 485 p. 303
- McCorquodale, Charles, The Connoisseur, pp. 209, 215
- Gioseffe, G., Pagine Istriane, pp. 107-116
- Griseri, Andreina, Paragone, pp. 28-37
- DiFederico, Frank R., Art Bulletin, pp. 52-67
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