Simon Vouet, French, 1590-1649
Title: The Four Seasons
Date: 1644-1645
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
113 cm
Credit Line: Purchased, 1970 (Shaw Fund)
Object Number: NGI.1982
DescriptionVouet spent 15 years working in Italy. He returned to Paris in 1627 with a fully developed Baroque style and was appointed principal painter to Louis XIII. He established a highly successful studio and was commissioned to execute many large-scale decorative cycles by religious orders, statesmen and members of the aristocracy.
In this tondo, Vouet depicts the four seasons as mythological figures. Flora (spring, synonymous with Venus) can be identified by the wreath of flowers she wears and the crown she is holding. She exchanges an amorous look with Adonis (winter), clad as a hunter and holding a dog on a lead. Ceres (summer) carrying a sickle and ears of corn watches them. The infant Bacchus (autumn), bearing grapes, twists away from the dog. The picture is believed to have been designed as part of a decorative scheme. The flat blue background throws the figures into striking relief, while the attractive colouring of the garments, flesh and flowers convey a sense of beauty and romance.
March 2016
In this tondo, Vouet depicts the four seasons as mythological figures. Flora (spring, synonymous with Venus) can be identified by the wreath of flowers she wears and the crown she is holding. She exchanges an amorous look with Adonis (winter), clad as a hunter and holding a dog on a lead. Ceres (summer) carrying a sickle and ears of corn watches them. The infant Bacchus (autumn), bearing grapes, twists away from the dog. The picture is believed to have been designed as part of a decorative scheme. The flat blue background throws the figures into striking relief, while the attractive colouring of the garments, flesh and flowers convey a sense of beauty and romance.
March 2016
ProvenancePossibly Bennett & son, Dublin, 16 February 1883, Oil Paintings, the property of the late Thomas Berry sale, lot 170, bt. Mr. W.P. Odlum, of the Elms, Portarlington; collection Mr W.P. Odlum at Huntington, Portarlington, by 1894; probably Claude Odlum, Leinster Grove, Sallins; purchased, Mr Neville Orgel in London, 1970
Exhibition HistoryLe Classicisme Francais: Masterpieces of Seventeenth Century Painting, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 1985
Vouet, Grand Palais, Paris, 1990-1991
Master European Paintings from the National Gallery of Ireland, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, 6 June - 9 August 1992; Fine Arts 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
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
Vouet, Grand Palais, Paris, 1990-1991
Master European Paintings from the National Gallery of Ireland, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, 6 June - 9 August 1992; Fine Arts 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
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 TextVouet spent fifteen years in Italy where he developed a Baroque style. In 1627, he returned to Paris and later became principal painter to Louis XIII. This tondo depicts the Four Seasons as mythological figures. Central to the composition is Adonis (Winter); he is dressed as a hunter and accompanied by a dog. He exchanges an amorous look with Flora (Spring). Ceres (Summer) carries a sickle and a sheaf of corn. The infant Bacchus (Autumn) is crowned with vines and holds grapes. It is thought that this painting originally formed part of a decorative scheme.