|
''The Death of Procris'', ''A Satyr mourning over a Nymph'' or simply ''A Mythological Subject'' are names given to an unsigned, undated panel painting in the National Gallery in London, United Kingdom, securely attributed to Piero di Cosimo (who never signed his works). Its date is uncertain, and its subject has been a matter of dispute. The name ''The Death of Procris'' (Italian: ''Morte di Procri'') has been used since the 19th century, and is supposed to have been inspired by Ovid's tale of the death of Procris at the hands of her husband Cephalus, in ''Metamorphoses'' VII. The National Gallery has rejected this title since at least Cecil Gould's catalogue of 1951, since when it has preferred to describe the subject as "''A Mythological Subject''" or "''A Satyr mourning over a Nymph''".〔Gould, 421〕 Despite the uncertainty surrounding the subject matter, the painting, which shows a satyr mourning over the body of a young woman, has been one of the most popular works by Piero di Cosimo. Erwin Panofsky was mesmerized by the "strange lure emanating from the picture", and other commentators have admired its "hazy atmosphere of a waking dream".〔Rose-Marie Hagen, Rainer Hagen. ''What Great Paintings Say''. Taschen, 2003. ISBN 3-8228-2100-4. Pages 104-109.〕 == A lesson for the newlyweds == Piero's interest in the story of Procris might have been occasioned by one of the first Italian plays based on a mythological subject, Niccolò da Correggio's ''Cefalo'', which had its premiere at a wedding feast in the Castello Estense (21 January 1487) and was printed in Venice in 1507.〔 The story is supposed to have been adapted from Plautus rather than Ovid's ''Metamorphoses'' and, in contrast to earlier treatments of the story, it ends happily.〔 If so, the painting should be read as a warning to the newlyweds against the dangers of jealousy which brought about the death of Procris.〔 The association with the theme of marriage is reinforced by the painting's unusual dimensions which suggest it was intended for the front of a ''cassone'', or bridal chest.〔 Gould suggests that although it has often been described as a ''cassone'' front, as most Florentine paintings of similar dimensions are, it is possible that it served a different purpose, and may have been designed to be set in wainscoting.〔 Fermor also finds it plausible that the painting hung in the marital chamber. The upper part of the painting bears the artist's fingerprints.〔 On the back of the panel are a card and a seal with the stemma of the Guicciardini (which may have been a later addition).〔 There is also a drawing interpreted as the frame of a pilaster.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Death of Procris」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|