Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Italian, 1609-1664
Title: Cyrus with the Shepherd's Wife Spako
Date: c.1651-1659
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
234 x 226.5 cm
Credit Line: Purchased, 1937 (Lane Fund)
Object Number: NGI.994
DescriptionCastiglione trained in Genoa under various artists, including Anthony van Dyck and Giovanni Battista Paggi. Around 1632 he moved to Rome, and was influenced by Poussin and Bernini. His own style portrayed picturesque pastoral and biblical scenes with loose brushstrokes of great virtuosity.
Here he depicts the discovery of the abandoned baby Cyrus. According to Herodotus, Astyages, daughter of the King of Media, gave birth to an illegitimate son, Cyrus. An oracle had predicted the king would be overthrown by his grandson, and so Astyages abandoned the child to its fate. He was saved when found by a shepherdess named Spako. Spako means ‘bitch’, so a second legend arose that Cyrus was suckled by a dog. Castiglione’s composition is faithful to the narrative, even if the simple shepherd has been embellished with perfect features and pearls in her hair. Roman statuary alludes to this being an ancient story, with the various elements harmoniously blended using a palette of luminous and vibrant colours.
March 2016
Here he depicts the discovery of the abandoned baby Cyrus. According to Herodotus, Astyages, daughter of the King of Media, gave birth to an illegitimate son, Cyrus. An oracle had predicted the king would be overthrown by his grandson, and so Astyages abandoned the child to its fate. He was saved when found by a shepherdess named Spako. Spako means ‘bitch’, so a second legend arose that Cyrus was suckled by a dog. Castiglione’s composition is faithful to the narrative, even if the simple shepherd has been embellished with perfect features and pearls in her hair. Roman statuary alludes to this being an ancient story, with the various elements harmoniously blended using a palette of luminous and vibrant colours.
March 2016
ProvenanceThe Dukes of Mantua; the 9th Earl of Lincoln (subsequently 2nd Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyme) by 1765; by descent to the Earl of Lincoln (heir to the 8th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyme); purchased at Christie's, 4 June 1937, Earl of Lincoln sale, lot 19
Exhibition HistoryArt Treasures, Manchester, 1857
Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Ireland, National Gallery, London, 1985
Master European Paintings from the National Gallery of Ireland, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, 6 June - 9 August 1992; Fine Art Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, 19 September - 6 December 1992; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 13 January - 28 March 1993; IBM Gallery, New York, 27 April - 26 June 1993
Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Ireland, National Gallery, London, 1985
Master European Paintings from the National Gallery of Ireland, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, 6 June - 9 August 1992; Fine Art Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, 19 September - 6 December 1992; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 13 January - 28 March 1993; IBM Gallery, New York, 27 April - 26 June 1993
Label TextThe ancient Greek historian Herodotus wrote about Astyages, king of Media (part of modern-day Iran), who dreamt that his grandson Cyrus would overthrow him. To prevent this, a shepherd was ordered to murder the new-born child. However, the shepherd switched the king's grandson with his own still-born child, and he and his wife Spako raised Cyrus as their own. North Italian painter Castiglione included a crown and armour to symbolise Cyrus’s future power. The dogs allude to the shepherd's wife, whose name translates as bitch. According to Herodotus, people believed that Cyrus had been raised by a dog.