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Poussin's Women 25 VISUAL AND MATERIAL CULTURE, 1300-1700 Thomas Poussin’s Women Troy Thomas Poussin’s Women Sex and Gender in the Artist’s Works Poussin’s Women Visual and Material Culture, 1300-1700 A forum for innovative research on the role of images and objects in the late medieval and early modern periods, Visual and Material Culture, 1300-1700 publishes monographs and essay collections that combine rigorous investigation with critical inquiry to present new narratives on a wide range of topics, from traditional arts to seemingly ordinary things. Recognizing the fluidity of images, objects, and ideas, this series fosters cross-cultural as well as multi-disciplinary exploration. We consider proposals from across the spectrum of analytic approaches and methodologies. Series Editor Dr. Allison Levy, an art historian, has written and/or edited three scholarly books, and she has been the recipient of numerous grants and awards, from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Association of University Women, the Getty Research Institute, the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library of Harvard University, the Whiting Foundation and the Bogliasco Foundation, among others. www.allisonlevy.com. Poussin’s Women Sex and Gender in the Artist’s Works Troy Thomas Amsterdam University Press The publication of this book is made possible by grants from the Office of Research and Outreach and from the School of Humanities at The Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg. Cover illustration: Nicolas Poussin, Diana and Endymion, detail, c.1630. Oil on canvas. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase, General Membership Fund (Photo: Detroit Institute of Arts). Cover design: Coördesign, Leiden Lay-out: Crius Group, Hulshout isbn 978 94 6372 184 4 e-isbn 978 90 4855 238 2 doi 10.5117/9789463721844 nur 654 © T. Thomas / Amsterdam University Press B.V., Amsterdam 2020 All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the written permission of both the copyright owner and the author of the book. Every effort has been made to obtain permission to use all copyrighted illustrations reproduced in this book. Nonetheless, whosoever believes to have rights to this material is advised to contact the publisher. Table of Contents List of Illustrations 11 Acknowledgments 21 Part I – Violence and Virtue in Poussin’s Representations of Women 23 Part II – Poussin’s Women—Cultural and Social Frames 53 Part III – Paintings and Drawings 93 1. Predators 95 Cephalus and Aurora, 1624-1625. Oil on canvas, 79 × 152 cm. Hovingham Hall, Yorkshire (Fig. 1.1). 97 Cephalus and Aurora, c. 1629-1630. Oil on canvas, 96.5 × 130.5 cm. National Gallery, London (Fig. 1.2) 99 Diana and Endymion, c. 1630. Oil on canvas, 121 × 168 cm. Detroit Institute of Arts (Fig. 1.4) 106 2. The Lustful—Triumphant, Impulsive, Spying, Conquered 123 Triumph of Pan, 1635-1636. Oil on canvas, 134 × 145 cm. National Gallery, London (Fig. 2.1) 125 Hymenaios Disguised as a Woman During an Offering to Priapus, 1634-1638. Oil on canvas, 167 × 376 cm. Museu de Arte, São Paulo (Fig. 2.16) 150 Rinaldo and Armida, c. 1627. Oil on canvas, 95 × 133 cm. Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow (Fig. 2.18) 153 Rinaldo and Armida, c. 1628. Oil on canvas, 80 × 107 cm. Dulwich Picture Gallery, London (Fig. 2.19) 157 Venus Espied by Shepherds, c. 1625. Oil on canvas, 71 × 96 cm. Staatliche Gemäldegalerie, Dresden (Fig. 2.7) 159 Landscape with Polyphemus, 1649. Oil on canvas, 150 × 198 cm. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg (Fig. 2.21) 161 Amor Vincit Pan, c. 1625-1627. Slight graphite underdrawing, pen and gray-brown ink, gray-brown wash on paper, 11.5 × 14.1 cm. Royal Library, Windsor Castle (Fig. 2.22) 163 Venus and Mercury, c. 1627-1629. Oil on canvas, cut down, right-hand part 78 × 85 cm. Dulwich Picture Gallery, London (Fig. 2.23) 165 3. Lovers—Genuine, Controlling, Unrequited, Jealous 171 Venus and Adonis, c. 1624-1625. Oil on canvas, 98.5 × 134.6 cm. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX (Fig. 3.1) 174 Venus and Adonis, 1625. Oil on canvas, 75 × 99 cm. Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI (Fig. 3.3) 176 Acis and Galatea, 1627-1628. Oil on canvas, 98 × 137 cm. National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin (Fig. 3.5) 179 Triumph of Neptune and Amphitrite, 1635-1636. Oil on canvas, 114.5 × 146.5 cm. Philadelphia Museum of Art (Fig. 3.7) 181 Arcadian Shepherds, c. 1628-1629. Oil on canvas, 101 × 82 cm. The Chats- worth Settlement, Chatsworth (Fig. 3.9) 185 The Four Seasons: Spring (Earthly Paradise), 1660-1664. Oil on canvas, 118 × 160 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris (Fig. 3.11) 187 The Four Seasons: Summer (Ruth and Boaz), 1660-1664. Oil on canvas, 118 × 160 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris (Fig. 3.12) 189 Mars and Venus, c. 1627-1628. Oil on canvas, 155 × 213.5 cm. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Fig. 3.13) 191 Tancred and Erminia, c. 1631. Oil on canvas, 98 × 147 cm. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg (Fig. 3.14) 194 Tancred and Erminia, c. 1633-1634. Oil on canvas, 75.5 × 99.7 cm. Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham (Fig. 3.15) 196 Landscape with Juno and Argus, 1636-1637. Oil on canvas, 120 × 195 cm. Gemäldegalerie, Berlin (Fig. 3.17) 198 4. Killers, Transgressors 205 Medea Killing her Children, c. 1649-1650. Pen and brown ink on paper, 15.9 × 16.7 cm. Royal Library, Windsor Castle (Fig. 4.1) 207 Medea Killing her Children, c. 1649-1650. Slight black underdrawing, pen and brown ink, pale brown wash on paper, 25.5 × 19.9 cm. Royal Library, Windsor Castle (Fig. 4.2) 209 Diana Killing Acteon, c. 1625-1627. Slight graphite (?) underdrawing, pen and brown ink on pale blue paper, 15 × 23.6 cm. Royal Library, Windsor Castle (Fig. 4.3) 212 Landscape with Diana and Orion, 1658. Oil on canvas, 119 × 183 cm. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Fig. 4.5) 214 Diana Slaying Chione, c. 1622-1623. Pen and brown ink, brown wash on paper, 18.5 × 31.5 cm. Royal Library, Windsor Castle (Fig. 4.6) 216 Birth of Adonis, c. 1622-1623. Pen and brown ink, gray wash on paper, 18.3 × 32.5 cm. Royal Library, Windsor Castle (Fig. 4.7) 218 Death of Sapphira, c. 1654. Oil on canvas, 122 × 199 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris (Fig. 4.10) 223 5. Victims I—Killed, Assaulted 227 Death of Virginia, c. 1634-1636. Pen and brown ink, brown wash on paper, 17.7 × 23.4 cm. Royal Library, Windsor Castle (Fig. 5.1) 232 Landscape with Orpheus and Eurydice, c. 1650. Oil on canvas, 124 × 200 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris (Fig. 5.2) 234 Landscape with Pyramus and Thisbe, 1651. Oil on canvas, 192 × 273 cm. Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt (Fig. 5.4) 237 Realm of Flora, 1631. Oil on canvas, 131 × 181 cm. Staatliche Gemäldegalerie, Dresden (Fig. 5.6) 239 Massacre of the Innocents, c. 1627-1628. Oil on canvas, 147 × 171 cm. Musée Condé, Chantilly (Fig. 5.7) 244 Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery, c. 1653. Oil on canvas, 121 × 195 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris (Fig. 5.10) 246 Queen Zenobia found on the Banks of the River Arax, c. 1657-1660. Oil on canvas, 156 × 194.5 cm. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg (Fig. 5.11) 248 Apollo and Daphne, 1625. Oil on canvas, 97 × 131 cm. Alte Pinakothek, Munich (Fig. 5.12) 249 Apollo and Daphne, 1664. Oil on canvas, 155 × 200 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris (Fig 5.13) 251 Pan and Syrinx, 1637. Oil on canvas, 106.5 × 82 cm. Staatliche Gemälde- galerie, Dresden (Fig. 5.14) 255 Rape of the Sabine Women, 1634. Oil on canvas, 154.6 × 210 cm. Metropo- litan Museum of Art, New York (Fig. 5.15) 257 Rape of the Sabine Women, c. 1637. Oil on canvas, 157 × 203 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris (Fig. 5.16) 259 Battle between the Israelites and the Midianites, c. 1630. Graphite under- drawing, pen and brown ink, brown wash on paper, 16.3 × 28 cm. Royal Library, Windsor Castle (Fig. 5.18) 262 Rape of Europa, 1649. Pen with bister wash on paper, 26.3 × 57.2 cm. Nationalmuseum, Stockholm (Fig. 5.19) 264 6. Victims II—Voiceless, Deceived 271 Echo and Narcissus, c. 1629-1630. Oil on canvas, 74 × 100 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris (Fig. 6.1) 274 Continence of Scipio, 1640. Oil on canvas, 114.5 × 163.5 cm. Pushkin Mu- seum, Moscow (Fig. 6.3) 280 Testament of Eudamidas, 1644-1648. Oil on canvas, 110.5 × 138.5 cm. Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen (Fig. 6.4) 283 Birth of Bacchus, 1657. Oil on canvas, 114.5 × 167.5 cm. Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, MA (Fig. 6.5) 285 Achilles Among the Daughters of Lycomedes, c. 1651-1653. Oil on canvas, 97 × 129.5 cm. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Fig. 6.6) 291 Achilles Among the Daughters of Lycomedes, c. 1656. Oil on canvas, 98 × 131 cm. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond (Fig. 6.7) 293 Judgment of Solomon, 1649. Oil on canvas, 101 × 150 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris (Fig. 6.8) 296 7. Heroines, Great Ladies 301 Landscape with the Ashes of Phocion Collected by His Widow, 1648. Oil on canvas, 116.5 × 178.5 cm. Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (Fig.
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