A Visit to Aesculapius
| A Visit to Aesculapius | |
|---|---|
| Artist | Edward Poynter |
| Year | 1880 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas, history painting |
| Dimensions | 151.1 cm × 228.6 cm (59.5 in × 90.0 in) |
| Location | Tate Britain, London |
A Visit to Aesculapius is an oil on canvas history painting by the British artist Edward Poynter, from 1880.[1] [2] It is in the Tate Britain, in London.[3]
Description
It depicts a scene from a poem by the Elizabethan writer Thomas Watson, inspired by Greek mythology. Asclepius, the god of medicine and healing, is visited by Venus who has a thorn in her foot. She is accompanied by her handmaidens, the three Graces. They all appear completely naked. The scene takes place at night; Asclepius is seated in a chair and appears thoughful. A dog lies by his side, and a man dressed in red is at the left. One of the Graces, with her back to the viewer, is seen addressing a woman who came fill her bucket with water from a fountain, at the right. Several doves, which are attributes of Venus, appear in the scene.[4]
The painting was displayed at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition of 1880 at Burlington House in London. It was acquired for the nation as part of the Chantrey Bequest.[5]
References
- ^ Smith p.xi
- ^ Wood p.144
- ^ "'A Visit to Aesculapius', Sir Edward Poynter, 1880". Tate.
- ^ Becker p.260
- ^ "'A Visit to Aesculapius', Sir Edward Poynter, 1880". Tate.
Bibliography
- Becker, Edwin. Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. Rizzoli, 1997.
- Smith, Alison. The Victorian Nude: Sexuality, Morality, and Art. Manchester University Press, 1996.
- Wood, Christopher. Olympian Dreamers: Victorian Classical Painters, 1860-1914. Constable, 1983.