Jean Lemaire, French, c.1597-1659
Title: The Childhood of Bacchus
Date: c.1630
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
163 x 140 cm
Credit Line: Bequeathed, Sir Hugh Lane, 1918
Object Number: NGI.800
DescriptionJean Lemaire painted Neo-classical scenes featuring architectural motifs. He lived in Rome for around 20 years and worked closely with Nicolas Poussin, who came to the city in 1624. He returned to Paris in c.1637, where he continued to collaborate with Poussin. Lemaire painted this idyllic scene in Italy. At the right, the infant Bacchus, wearing a crown of vine leaves, rides on a goat. At the left, a man plays pipes for a female companion. The implied sounds of music and water convey a sense of harmony. Although invented, many of the architectural elements within the composition relate to ancient examples. The funeral monument, at the left side, consists of a sarcophagus. Its lower section recalls that of the Labours of Hercules, which was then located in the Palazzo Savelli at the Teatro di Marcello and later engraved by Cassiano dal Pozzo in his print entitled Museo Cartaceo. The large sculpted figures above it also derive from a classical model, namely a sarcophagus then in the Guistiniani collection. The Hebrew inscription reads (in translation):‘From this sarcophagus, according to your desire, take whatever you like from his body, but be quick, and turn your head towards your God’.
March 2016
March 2016
ProvenanceBequeathed, Sir Hugh Lane, 1918
Exhibition HistoryLe Classicisme Français: Masterpieces of 17th Century Painting, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 30 April - 9 June 1985
Primi Anni Romani, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome, 26 November 1998 - 1 March 1999
Primi Anni Romani, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome, 26 November 1998 - 1 March 1999
Label TextLemaire lived in Rome for almost twenty years before returning to Paris in c.1637. In both cities, he collaborated closely with Nicolas Poussin. This classical idyll depicts the infant Bacchus (crowned with vine leaves) riding upon a goat. A man plays pipes for an attentive companion, while sheep graze by the lake’s edge. The implied sounds of music and water add to the overall sense of harmony. Lemaire’s paintings typically include architectural elements. He reimagined and incorporated motifs from classical buildings and sculptures that he knew from private collections and engravings.