Apollo, the Muses, and Mars: In Praise of Tasso

1740/1745

Giovanni Battista Piazzetta

Associated Names
Giovanni Battista Piazzetta

Artist, Italian, 1683 - 1754

This is a drawing depicting a gathering with mythical elements and figures, set in a classical or mythological framework. In the center, a nude figure with a lyre stands on a rock, surrounded by elegantly dressed individuals engaged in music and the arts. Some figures are playing musical instruments, while others are in discussion or contemplation. In the upper right, angelic beings with wings hover, one holding a trumpet. To the right, a winged horse akin to Pegasus stands on its hind legs. The background includes trees and a rolling landscape. The drawing showcases precise and delicate lines, indicative of classical or neoclassical draftsmanship.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    black chalk on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund

  • Dimensions

    overall: 42.5 × 29.9 cm (16 3/4 × 11 3/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1981.65.1


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(sale Sotheby's London, 7 December 1978, no. 114); Adolphe Stein Gallery, Paris; purchased by NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1995

  • Splendori del Settecento Veneziano, Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice, 1995, 418, no. 134 (repro. p. 418)(entry by Annalisa Prissa Torrini).

1997

  • Building a Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1997-1998, no. 51.

2014

  • The Poetry of Light - La poesia della luce: Venetian Drawings from the National Gallery of Art, Museo Correr, Venice, Venice, 2014 - 2015, no. 62.

Bibliography

1983

  • Piazzetta, A Tercentenary Exhibition of Drawings, Prints, and Books. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1983: 166-167, no. 74.

  • G.B. Piazzetta: Disegni-Incisioni-Libri Manoscritti. Exh. cat. Neri Pozza, Venice, 1983: 40.

1995

  • Splendori del Settecento Veneziano. Exh. cat. Electa, Milan, 1995: 417-418.

Watermarks

Strasburg Lily, close to Heawood 1479 (Amersterdam 1658) and 1534 (London 1700); separate double-line capitals "C & I HONIG," smaller version of Heawood 3348 (Amsterdam after 1740)

Wikidata ID

Q64572333

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