Currently indexing

 
Nicolas Poussin, French, 1594-1665
Title: Acis and Galatea
Date: 1627-1628
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
98 x 137 cm
Credit Line: Bequeathed, Sir Hugh Lane, 1918
Object Number: NGI.814
DescriptionPoussin moved to Rome in 1624, where he became closely associated with the gifted antiquarian Cassiano dal Pozzo and his intellectual circle. Well versed in classical literature, philosophy and art, Poussin went on to develop a distinct poetic style of history painting. this arcadian scene was inspired by a story in Ovid’s Metamorphoses (Book XIII). In the foreground, the lovers Acis and Galatea embrace, as tritons and nereids frolic in the waves. Behind them, the one-eyed giant Polyphemus sits on a promontory overlooking the sea. He plays a love song to Galatea on the syrinx. Winged amorini hold drapery to shield the ill-fated couple from his view. In Ovid’s poem, Polyphemus, whose ardour for Galatea was unrequited, hurled a rock at Acis in a jealous rage and killed him. While the mood in the foreground of the painting is playful and sensual, the isolated figure of Polyphemus and the dark clouds overhead convey a sense of pathos and foreboding.

March 2016

ProvenanceIn England from 18th Century; (?) Phillips, London, 16 February 1750, Bragge sale, no. 31; (?) Phillips, London, 17 March 1821, John Knight sale, lot 24; collection of the Earl of Spencer, Althorp House by 1831; by descent; sold to Sir John Leslie, Castle Leslie, Co. Monaghan, 1856; by descent; Sir Hugh Lane; bequeathed, Sir Hugh Lane, 1918
Exhibition HistoryPictures by Old Masters Given and Bequeathed to the National Gallery of Ireland by the Late Sir Hugh Lane, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 1918

Exhibition of French Art 1200-1900, Royal Academy of Arts, London; City Art Gallery, Manchester, 1932

Chefs d'oeuvre de l'art francais, Palais National des Arts, Paris, 1937

Quatre siècles d'art francais: Hommage à la femme, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, March - May 1953

Centenary Exhibition, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, October - December 1964

W.B. Yeats, A Centenary Exhibition, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 1965

Nicolas Poussin 1594-1665, Villa Medici, Rome; Stadtische Kunsthalle, Düsseldorf, 1977-1978

Poussin: Sacraments and Bacchanals, National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh, 1981

Le Classicisme Français: Masterpieces of French 17th Century Painting, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 1985

Poussin, The Early Years in Rome, Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, 1988

From Titian to Delacroix: Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Ireland, Yokohama Sogo Museum of Art, Yokohama, 25 August - 17 October 1993; Chiba Sogo Museum of Art, Chiba, 10 November - 20 December 1993; Prefectural Museum of Art, Yamaguchi, 5 January - 20 February 1994; Kobe City Museum, Kobe, 25 February - 10 April 1994; Isetan Museum of Art, Tokyo, 14 April - 24 May 1994

European Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Ireland, National Gallery, Canberra, 25 June 1994 - 3 October 1994; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Adelaide, 21 October 1994 - 15 January 1995

Nicolas Poussin 1594-1665, Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris, 27 September 1994 - 2 January 1995; Royal Academy of Arts, London, 19 January - 9 April 1995

Primi Anni Romani, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome, 26 November 1998 - 1 March 1999

Von Poussin bis Monet. Die Farben Frankreichs, The Arp Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck, Remagen, 22 March - 6 September 2015; Bucerius Kunst Forum, Hamburg, 10 October 2015 - 17 January 2016
Label TextThis painting depicts scenes from a mythological story told in Ovid’s Metamorphoses (ad 8). The lovers Acis and Galatea embrace, while tritons and nereids play in the waves nearby. Putti shield the couple from Polyphemus (a one eyed giant) who sits on a promontory playing a syrinx. According to Ovid, Polyphemus became angry when Galatea did not reciprocate his love. He hurled a rock at Acis and killed him. Poussin presents the oblivious lovers in a golden light, but dark clouds hint at the tragedy to come.

This website uses cookies

We use optional cookies to enhance your user experience and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services.

Details

About Cookies

Cookies are small text files that can be used by websites to make a user's experience more efficient. The law states that we can store cookies on your device if they are strictly necessary for the operation of this site. For all other types of cookies we need your permission. This site uses different types of cookies. Some cookies are placed by third party services that appear on our pages. You can at any time change or withdraw your consent from the Cookie Declaration on our website. Learn more about who we are, how you can contact us and how we process personal data in our Privacy Policy. Please state your consent ID and date when you contact us regarding your consent.

Necessary Cookies

Necessary cookies help make a website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the website. The website cannot function properly without these cookies.

NameProviderPurposeExpiryType
JSESSIONIDeMuseumUser SessionSessionHTTP

Statistics Cookies

Statistic cookies help website owners to understand how visitors interact with websites by collecting and reporting information anonymously.

NameProviderPurposeExpiryType
_gaGoogle Tag ManagerRegisters a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the website.2 yearsJavaScript
_gidGoogle Tag ManagerRegisters a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the website.1 dayJavaScript