Apotheosis of Sculpture
Artist
Francesco de Mura
(Italian, 1696 - 1782)
Dateca. 1741
Object number61.0202
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensions63 1/4 x 39 3/8 in. (160.6 x 100 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineMuseo de Arte de Ponce. The Luis A. Ferré Foundation, Inc.
Collections
On View
Not on viewDescriptionDe Mura painted a number of obscure allegories with many figures. It is possible that this picture celebrates the commissioning of a particular work of sculpture. The personification of Sculpture, a grandly draped female holding a mallet and chisel, stands before a wreathed obelisk. Another heroic female accompanied by geese (the goddess Juno?) reclines in the foreground and points up to her. Lying near her feet are three sculptures. In the left background Fame, blowing a trumpet, triumphs over the aged Time. The Sun god Apollo rides in his chariot at the upper left, and in the center many figures surround two horses and a chariot in which sits the winged Aurora holding a torch. Some of these heavenly figures are genii, characterized by their short, flat wings.
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