Cupid and Psyche by Benjamin West 1808

Cupid and Psyche by Benjamin West 1808

West never exhibited the present work during his lifetime, probably because of its erotic subject matter and it is not therefore a canvas that would have been known to contemporary critics or the public. For an artist, whose reputation and public image were immensely important to him, it can be seen as an unusually personal essay. The subject of Cupid and Psyche, however, has been commonly treated in western art since the Renaissance. The literary source is Lucius Apuleius's second-century A.D. work, The Golden Ass, which Voltaire considered to be the Greeks' most beautiful fable. A new translation by Hudson Gurney had been published by J. Wright in London in 1799.

However, the subject that West chose is one of the less commonly represented episodes of the story of Cupid and Psyche in The Golden Ass. Psyche, who has fainted after opening the vase she was given in Hades by Prosperina and commanded by Venus not to open, is revived by Cupid's kiss.



With honied words, around his form

With fond devotion now she twines,

With rapt'rous kisses pressed and warm

Each soothing, witching art combines.



Forgetting his celestial race

Unconscious of his own misdeeds

He yields to her resistless grace -

Who can resist when woman pleads?



West's treatment of Cupid and Psyche follows that found in several other well-known works from the period, in particular that by François Gérard of 1798 and Antonio Canova's sculptural group of 1793 (both Louvre, Paris). The emphatic profiles of both Cupid and Psyche in the present work suggest a lingering influence of the French Neoclassical paintings that West had seen on a visit to Paris in 1802.



Indeed, the present work is extremely close to Canova's composition which West had seen in the Murat collection on that trip. The positions of the two heads and Psyche's arms upraised around Cupid's neck seem to have been directly inspired by the marble. Von Erffa and Staley (op. cit., p. 243) point out that the specific source for the pose of Psyche comes from an engraving after a painting showing an embracing faun and bacchante published in the English edition of the Antiquities of Herculaneum in 1773, to which West was one of the original subscribers. They further note that the same ancient painting was identified by C.F. Fernow in 1806 as the inspiration for Canova's composition. In 1806, at a dinner party sitting next to the collector Henry Hope, West recalled seeing the celebrated works of Canova in Paris (Farington Diary, 3 October 1802 and 25 June 1806, v, p. 1899; vii, p. 2796). At that time Canova's Cupid and Psyche was, in fact, owned by Hope.



The detail in the upper right corner of two doves being attacked by a darker bird does not correspond with anything directly in Apuleius's text but is analogous with scenes of aerial conflict in versions of Death on the Pale Horse which West first painted in 1796.

West also painted a different subject from the story of Cupid and Psyche, The Eagle Bringing the Cup of Water to Psyche (Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton), which he exhibited at the Royal Academy of 1805.



West was the first American artist to achieve an international reputation and to influence artistic trends in Europe. He was born on 10 October 1738 in Springfield (now Swarthmore), Pennsylvania, the tenth and youngest child of John West (1690-1776), innkeeper, and his second wife, Sarah (1697-1756), daughter of Thomas Pearson of Marple, Pennsylvania. Both parents came from Quaker families. In Philadelphia about 1747, West met the young English artist William Williams (1727-1791) and received some instruction in painting. Aged eighteen he set himself up as a portrait painter in order to earn money to continue his studies in Italy. Helped by a group of local subscribers he travelled to Italy 1760-63, studying under Mengs and Gavin Hamilton and acquiring a taste for neoclassical history painting. He settled in London as a portrait painter in 1763 and exhibited regularly at the Society of Artists and the British Institution. He was a founder member of the Royal Academy on its formation and succeeded Reynolds as President in 1792. He was History Painter to George III and the monarch's favorite artist. He was the teacher of a number of important American-born artists of the next generation including John Singleton Copley, John Trumbull and Charles Wilson Peale. He died in London in 1820 and was buried in St. Paul's Cathedral.

 

                                                                              

Arlington House the Custis-Lee Mansion 1802-1818

the Custis-Lee Mansion built from 1802-1818

In August of 2007 I had a chance to visit the Custis-Lee Mansion in Arlington National Cemetery. The house was undergoing a major restoration project, requiring the removal of the 19th century furnishings from the house when I went thru. The mansion was built by George Washington Parke Custis, a step-grandson and adopted son of George Washington and was intended as a living memorial to George Washington . Custis was the most prominent resident of what was then known as Alexandria County, at the time a part of the District of Columbia. Arlington House was built on an 1,100 acre (445 ha) estate, originally purchased by Custis' father, John Parke Custis, in 1778. George Washington Parke Custis decided to build his home on the property in 1802, following the death of Martha Washington and three years after the death of George Washington. Custis originally wanted to name the property "Mount Washington", but was persuaded by family members to name it "Arlington House" after the Custis family's homestead on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

George Hadfield, an English architect who also worked on the design of the United States Capitol designed the mansion. The north and south wings were completed between 1802 and 1804 in the Federal style. The large center section and the portico, presenting an imposing front 140 ft (43 m) long, was finished 13 years later in the Greek Revival style. The house is made of handmade slave brick covered with a very hard cement called “hydraulic cement,” and the surface was scored and painted to look like marble and sandstone, a faux finish! These faux finishes were very popular in the early 19th century, just as they are now. The house has two kitchens, a summer and a winter. The most prominent features of the house are the 8 massive columns of the portico, each 5 feet (1.5 m) in diameter. The design of the capitals at the top of the columns are called Doric. They are the simplest of the Greek columns. Doric columns were usually fluted. Those at Arlington were not fluted, but smooth, probably because Mr. Custis wanted to save money. The capitals, the entablature and the pediments are made of wood, scored and covered with stucco. It was in this building that Custis made his home, with a significant portion of it used to store George Washington memorabilia Custis was acquiring with regularity which he called his “Washington Treasures.” Among the items purchased and stored in the north wing were portraits, Washington's personal papers and clothes, and the command tent which the president had used at Yorktown. The house was host to many of the famous men of the era, including Gilbert du Motier and the Marquis de La Fayette, who visited in 1824.



George Washington Parke Custis and his wife, Mary Lee Fitzhugh (whom he had married in 1804), lived in Arlington House for the rest of their lives and were buried together on the property after their deaths in 1857 and 1853, respectively. They are buried in their original graves in Section 13, at map grid N-30. On June 30, 1831, Custis' only child, Mary Anna Randolph Custis, married her childhood friend and distant cousin, Robert E. Lee. Lee was the son of former three-term Virginia Governor Henry ("Light Horse Harry") Lee and was himself a graduate of West Point.

The last part of the house to be completed, the large Portico was designed by architect George Hadfield to mimic a Greek temple. The large columns are constructed of wedge-shaped brick covered in plaster. Once a scene of rustic, natural beauty, described by the Marquis de Lafayette in 1824 as "the finest view in the world," the view from the Arlington House Portico now gives visitors a great look at the Washington, D.C. skyline.

Marble mantel and ceiling medallion from the white parlor. The white parlor was included in the construction of the center portion of the house in 1817-1818 but its interior was left unfinished until 1855. When Colonel Lee went to Texas, in 1855, he left instructions for completion of the White Parlor—plastering the walls, installing a crystal chandelier, and painting the walls and woodwork. He also ordered marble mantels for the fireplaces from Europe. As completed, this room clearly reflects Robert E. Lee's personal taste and interests. He chose and purchased the mantels, suggested the room's furnishings and even chose the wall color and door stain. He also purchased the furnace and selected the locations for the registers, one of which was in the floor of this room.

Neoclassical European marble mantels in the dinning room and family parlor in the 1817-1818 part of the home.

Federal wood mantel in one of the 1802 wings

The North Wing, constructed in 1802, was originally 2 stories with a massive single chimney and had a hip roof. (Mr. Custis planned for this to become one large ballroom some day). Later the North Wing was changed to a gable roof, windows were added and the exterior was decorated to match the South Wing. The South Wing was constructed in 1804 with a temporary wall, probably of wood. Obviously, construction of the largest section of the house, the two-story “Middle House” with its impressive portico, was already planned and accommodations were being made for its addition in 1818. In the meantime, the Custis family lived in the North Wing and entertained guests in the South Wing where they displayed the “Washington Treasures.”

The original roof was of wooden shingles. Lee had the roof of the “Middle House” covered with slate, and he installed gravel roofs on both North and South Wings in the 1850s. Each wing originally had a parapet, which looked like a decorative railing, across the edge of the roof. Lee also removed those during the 1850s.

The somewhat austere quality of the architecture is relieved by the deft use of the graceful Federal arches throughout the house. There is an exceptionally large arch in the Morning Room in the South Wing.

For 30 years Arlington House was home to the Lees. They spent much of their married life traveling between U.S. Army duty stations and Arlington, where six of their seven children were born. They shared this home with Mary's parents, the Custises, until each died; they are buried on the grounds.

Just like George Washington did when he was away from Mount Vernon. Colonel Robert E. Lee refurbish and redecorated the mansion from a far, away on duty. Picking out the smallest details down to the color. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Virginia seceded from the Union on April 17, 1861. On that same day, Colonel Robert E. Lee, who at that time had served in the U.S. Army for 35 years, was offered command of the Union Army. Lee had disapproved of secession, but felt that he could not turn his back on the citizens of Virginia, his native state. Instead of accepting the Union command, he decided to resign his commission in the army, which he did in writing while still residing in the home. After his resignation, Lee reported for duty in Richmond, as commander of the Virginia Provisional Army. He soon joined the Confederate States Army and was promoted to general.



The federal government had confiscated the mansion and property in 1864, claiming that property taxes had not been paid since Mrs. Lee had been required to pay the $92.07 assessed in person, and timely payment from her agent had been refused by the government. Robert E. Lee and his wife never legally challenged the return of the home, as Lee felt it would be too divisive. In 1870, after his father's death, George Washington Custis Lee, their eldest son, filed a lawsuit in the Alexandria Circuit Court which resulted in a 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1882 returning to Custis Lee Arlington House and 1,100 acres (4 km2) with the finding they had been 'illegally confiscated' in 1864. In 1883, Custis Lee sold the mansion and property to the U.S. government for $150,000 at a signing ceremony with Secretary of War, Robert Todd Lincoln

                                  

La Toilette intime by Louis-Léopold Boilly

La Toilette intime by Louis-Léopold Boilly

Louis-Léopold Boilly was trained as a trompe-l'oeil painter and moved to Paris in 1785. He is known for his scenes of Parisian leisure, political subjects, still lifes, caricatures and humorous lithographs such as this one. During his lifetime, his meticulously realistic paintings and his prints were extremely popular with the public and collectors. In 1794, Boilly was condemned by the Comité de Salut Public, at the height of Terror, for the erotic undertones of his work. This offence was remedied by an eleventh-hour discovery in his home of the more patriotic Triumph of Marat (Musée des Beaux Arts, Lille) which saved him from serious penalties. He exhibited at the Salon between 1791 and 1824 and received a gold medal at the Salon of 1804. In 1833, he was admitted to the Legion of Honor and the Institut de France, but his work fell out of favor shortly thereafter.

                                                                              

Barry the dog 1800-1814 and the Decorative arts he inspired

1840's Paris porcelain vase from my collection with a scene of Barry's most famous rescue

At the age if fifteen I bought a damage 1840's Rococo Revival style Old Paris porcelain vase with a beautiful Romantic painting of a dog affectionately licking a boy on the face, with a man off to the side peering at them in a wooded landscape. I paid fourteen dollars for the broken vase thinking the attractive hundred and fifty year old miniature painting on it was worth the price in the condition the vase was in. I had pick up the vase in a dusty Old junk shop in the French Quarter that is still open today. Over the years I have bought wonderful items from this shop. The owner originally from New York city, picking over every market, garage sale, and estate sale with a fine tooth comb both in New York and New Orleans, Two great 19th century American city's for finding neat old stuff. He finds some of the most interesting items for his customers at affordable prices.

I often wondered what the story was behind the mysterious handpainted scene on my vase. As I got older I replaced by collection of damaged Old Paris porcelain from my teen days with a large collection of Museum quality Paris porcelain. The dog vase was one of the few pieces I kelp because of the interesting painting. Over the years I have seen over fifty pieces of Paris porcelain dating from the first half of the 19th century that have very much similar painted scenes of a dog, boy and man making this a popular subject on French porcelain and other decorative arts. I'm sure the scene on my vase is from a engraving after a painting but I have not been able to find the source. I now know that the scene depicts Barry the dog with one of his most famous rescues.

A drawing of Barry, preserved at the Natural History Museum of Bern prior to the modifications conducted in 1923.

                                                                           


Barry the dog was born the year 1800 in Switzerland. Named Barry der Menschenretter, he worked as a mountain rescue dog in Switzerland for the Great St Bernard Hospice. Although Barry would be called a St. Bernard dog today, he predates the modern St. Bernard, and was lighter built than the modern breed. He has been described as the most famous St. Bernard, as he was credited with saving more than 40 lives during his lifetime. Barry's most famous rescue was that of a young boy. He found the child asleep in a cavern of ice. After warming up the boy's body sufficiently by licking him, and persuaded the boy to climb on his back, and then carried the boy to safety back to the hospice. The child survived and was returned to his parents



The best of dogs, the best of animals is Barry. You used to leave the convent with a basket round your neck, into the storm, in the most insidious snow. Each and every day you examined the mountain searching for unfortunates buried under avalanches. You dug them out and brought them back to life by yourself and, when you couldn't, you rushed back to the convent signalling the monks for help. You resurrected people. Your tenderness was so easy to communicate, that the boy you dug out had no fear to let you bring him, holding on to your back, to the Hospice.

—Peter Scheitlin, Complete Study on Animal Instinct

Antique French Empire ormolu automaton clock of the dog Barry.

Unusual French Empire automaton clock depicting the famous rescue of a young boy by Barrie. The dog died in 1814 and this clock is dated 1816. Very fine quality case with original fire/mercury gilding. 8 day bell striking movement with silk suspension. The automaton outside bell strikes on the hour and half.

                                                                    

After twelve years of service at the monastery, Barry was brought by a monk to Bern, Switzerland so that he could live out the rest of his life. He passed away at the age of 14. His body passed into the hands of the Natural History Museum of Bern. During Barry's lifetime, his breed did not have one specific name. By 1820, six years after his death, Barry was specifically referred to as being an Alpine Mastiff, Following his death and up until 1860 the entire stock were called "Barry hounds" in the Canton of Bern after Barry himself and also called "Saint dogs". It was not until 1865 when the term "St. Bernard" was first used primarily for the breed. Under this name, the St. Bernard has been recognized since 1880 by the Swiss Kennel Club.

Barry the dog 1800-1814

                                                                                


Barry is described as the most famous St. Bernard by the Natural History Museum of Bern. Following his death, his skin was preserved by a taxidermist for the museum, while the rest of his body was buried. In 1923, his body was refurbished by Georg Ruprecht as his coat had become brittle and had broken into over 20 pieces. During the restoration his body was reposed and his skull shape was modified to match the shape of the St. Bernard of that time in a compromise between Ruprecht and the Museum's director. His original head shape was rather flat with a moderate stop, with the modification resulting in a larger head with a more pronounced stop. A monument to Barry is located opposite the entrance to the Cimetière des Chiens pet cemetery in Paris. Dogs are unique among animals in that there is a long and storied history of man's best friend performing heroic, self-sacrificial acts for their human comrades.

Elaborate memorial dedicated to the legendary Barry, located opposite the entrance to the Cimetière des Chiens pet cemetery in Paris.

                                                                                        

Narcissus, by John Gibson 1838

 Narcissus, by John Gibson 1838

Gibson sculpted several versions of the Greek mythological figure Narcissus, the beautiful young man who fell in love with his own reflection. On a morning walk on the Monte Pinciano in Rome. the artist said that he was inspired by the sight of a boy at a fountain in Rome, 'looking into the water... The action was perfect for a statue of Narcissus'. He claimed he 'immediately went to his studio and modelled a small sketch in clay of the action which he had admired'.

Narcissus, by John Gibson 1838

 Narcissus, who was loved by Apollo and is counted among the most handsome young men, was the son of the river god Cephisus and the nymph Liriope, or of Endymion and Selene (Moon). His beauty has been compared to that of Adonis, whom Aphrodite loved, or to that of Endymion, whom Selene loved, or to that of Ganymedes, whom Zeus loved, or to that of Hyacinthus , whom Apollo loved, or to that of Hylas, whom Heracles loved, or to that of Hermaphroditus, whom Salmacis loved, or to that of Chrysippus , whom Laius loved. It is also said that his looks were worthy of Dionysus or Apollo.

Narcissus, by John Gibson 1838

                                                                               
He came across a deep pool in a forest, from which he took a drink. As he did, he saw his reflection for the first time in his life and fell in love with the beautiful boy he was looking at, not realizing it was himself. Eventually, after pining away for a while, he realized that the image he saw in the pool was a reflection of himself. Realizing that he could not act upon this love, he tore at his dress and beat at his body, his life force draining out of him. As he died, the bodyless Echo came upon him and felt sorrow and pity. His soul was sent to "the darkest hell" and the narcissus flower grew where he died. It is said that Narcissus still keeps gazing on his image in the waters of the river Styx.

The Greek telling of the myth is a moral tale wherein the proud and unfeeling Narcissus is punished by the gods for spurning a male suitor. It is thought to have been intended as a cautionary tale addressed to prideful young men.

                                                                              

                                                                               
                                                                                          

Detail of sorrowful Angels by Antonio Canova 1819

Detail of sorrowful Angels by Antonio Canova 1819

Detail of sorrowful angels, there wings folded and heads inclined over upside-down torches which is about to extinguish. Monument to the Royal Stuarts in St. Peter's Basilica, in the Vatican in Rome. It commemorates the last three members of the Royal House of Stuart: James Francis Edward Stuart, his elder son Charles Edward Stuart, and his younger son, Henry Benedict Stuart. The Jacobites recognized these three princes as kings of England, Scotland and Ireland.

Detail of sorrowful Angels by Antonio Canova 1819

                                                                                                                                                     

Prince Henryk Ludwick Lubomirski the most beautiful boy in the world

Detail of Prince Lubomirski as god Eros by Canova

Prince Henryk Ludwick Lubomirski (1777–1850) known as the most beautiful boy in the world. son of Joseph and Castellan of Kiev from Sosnowskich Louise (a former great love of Tadeusz Kosciuszko), was an exceptionally beautiful child. So beautiful, that - delighted him - his distant aunt, the Czartoryski Izabela Lubomirska, widowed duchess, reared the child as if he was her own. Given Henryk exalted praise, he also receive it everywhere he went as a companion of his many journeys around Europe with his praiseful aunt. The talented angel face boy became famous as the Wunderkind shocking beauty, so that he was portrayed by the most eminent artists of his time.

His "angelic face" was engraved by the famous artist physiognomist Lavater, and dance lessons given to the young Prince by no less then the famous master Vestris. In 1799, the duchess has bought a good pupil extensive Przeworsk (already offered him in 1802), and in 1807, he married Teresa Czartoryska, daughter of Joseph Clement Lithuanian Master of the pantry.


Despite the cosmopolitanism of his benefactress Henryk Lubomirski, boasting an excellent position in the social spheres, and the court of Vienna, Austria is not shrouded in loyalism. As a young man, rising to the functions of Prefect of the department of Krakow and a member of the United Galician (1817), The Prince became a well-deserved literary curator of the Foundation, later known as the National Department. National Institute, and the a big patron of the arts (Ossolineum donated more than 2,200 prints and manuscripts, also founded the Museum of the Princes Lubomirski in Lviv).


Little Henry was portrayed many times in his life, usually at the request of the duchess, in painting, sculpture and graphics. Excellent Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun painted three of his likeness as the Genius of Fame. First, the earliest picture ( formerly in the collection Przeworsk Ordinance) was exhibited at the Paris Salon of the Academy in 1789, arousing admiration. Duchess Lubomirska paying a fabulous artist fee of 12,000 francs, did not depart from this portrait, and at any price would not dispense it to anyone, even the king, Stanislaus Augustus. The genius of Fame has found enthusiastic followers, mostly in Poland, he repeated in miniature Vincent de Lesseur and Stanislaw Marszałkiewicz, in graphics by artist Andreas Geiger.


Other famous portraits of the little prince is by: Angelica Kauffmann canvas of Henryk Lubomirski as Cupid, ordered a painter in 1786 (now in the collections of Lviv) and a sculpture of Antonio Canova Cupid aleato (Lancut Museum) - both objects created in Rome, and the ceiling does not exist anymore in the Palace in Lancut. It depicted little Henry Lubomirski as the Seraphim, by Maria Cosway, and theViennese, Heinrich Fügera.

Prince Heinrich Lubomirski as the Genius of Fame 1789 Oil on oak, 106 x 83 cm

James Touron (1740-1789) Henryk Lubomirski fame as a genius enamel on copper after Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun ; 1789

Czartoryski Izabela Lubomirska and the statue of Henry Lubomirski fame as a genius after Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun

Allegory of the Genius of Alexander I. Prince Heinrich Lubomirski 1814 by Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun

Prince Henry Lubomirski as Amphion playing the Lyre, admired by three Naiads (Mlles Guichet, Polignac, and Julie Le Brun) (1795) by Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun

 

Angelica Kauffmann -Portrait of prince Henri Lubomirski as Cupid, Museum of Liviv, Ukraine

Engraved Portrait of prince Henri Lubomirski

Henryk Lubomirski age fourteen with a dog and a harp Figure Ch.G.Geisslera (1729-1814) Pencil and ink on coated paper, 1791

Henryk Lubomirski as a young man age 20, portrait miniature by Kreutzinger Joseph, c. 1797

Prince Heinrich Lubomirski as Young St. John the Baptist 1785

Antonio Canova (1757-1822) was considered the greatest sculptor of his time in Europe. His work and personality became a model for all sculptors for many years. the magnificent sculpture that represents “Prince Henryk Lubomirski as Love”. The dazzling beauty of the thirteen year old Prince, immortalized in marble, life size, by Canova won many fans who fought at the price of gold, copies and casts of nude wonder. Canova had sculptured this masterpiece because Princess Elzbieta Lubomirski wanted him to do this; in fact, she was left a widow and had elected the thirteen year-old Henryk (one of her husband’s distant relation) as her ward.

Henryk Lubomirski was a graceful and quite shy model for Canova, who succeeded in representing life his face only. The masterpiece that flowed from the artists hands was a wonderful statue, that represented the thirteen year-old young prince as god Eros in all his beauty.

This work had a great success at the European courts of the time and the young Prince won numerous admires .



When completed, the effigy was carried in Poland and placed in the castle in Łańcut Lubomirski as in a sanctuary in a Greek style temple, with a background of Chinese marble hung a cloth with the representation of the Phoenix in which all pay homage to the birds, just like all the visitors of the building were ready to pay tribute to the beauty of Henryk. Not satisfied by just marble, two plaster casts of the statue the same as the original except for the presence of gypsum in the fig leaf were sent to Łańcut Lubomirski.



It was just a passion for "Love": marble and plaster copies of the wonderful depiction of young love were commissioned, at great cost, by the noble men of different countries, fascinated and captivated by the gentle beauty of Prince Henryk. To be seduced by such an incomparable perfection was also the seventeen year old John, the son of Irish bankers Latouche. So chalk & marble replicas of Prince ended up in many fine homes on the continent of, Ireland, Russia, from France to England, Germany and, of course, Italy.

Prince Henryk Lubomirski as the god Eros age 13 by Antonio Canova

Eros was the son of Venus and Mars. He was her constant companion. Mischievous, he shot darts of love into men and caused all the trouble resulting from the desire of the gods for the children of men. The darts, which represent the flame of desire, brought the gods down in consciousness.

Anteros was the avenger of slighted love. Venus had complained to Themis (justice) that Eros remained a child and never grew up. Themis said he should have a brother and then he would grow up. Anteros is also the champion of reciprocal affection. These two are like Cain and Abel: Eros is "love"; Anteros is "against love."

Prince Henryk Lubomirski as the god Eros age 13 by Antonio Canova

Prince Henryk Lubomirski as the god Eros age 13 by Antonio Canova

Prince Henryk Lubomirski as the god Eros age 13 by Antonio Canova

Prince Henryk Lubomirski as the god Eros age 13 by Antonio Canova

Prince Henryk Lubomirski as the god Eros age 13 by Antonio Canova

Princesse Czartoryska - 1801 pastel Teresa Czartoryska (1785-1868) was daughter of Jozef Klemens Czartoryski and Dorota Jablonowska; after she married Henryk Lubomirski

Prince Henryk Ludwick Lubomirski as a man early 19th century