French Mythological Painting in the Circle of Paul Chenavard – Mid-19th Century

Evocative French mythological composition from the mid-19th century, belonging to the French Academic-Romantic tradition and attributable to the circle and school of Paul Chenavard, the Lyon-born painter and pupil of Ingres, as well as a friend of Delacroix.

Chenavard was known for his philosophical classicism and monumental historical and symbolic allegories, and this composition reflects the same interest in mythology, symbolism and idealized figures.

In the foreground, a young woman with long copper-red hair lies on a lion's skin, her head tilted backwards in an ecstatic abandonment. She holds an arrow between her fingers, a clear reference to the symbolic dart of love.

Behind her, a bearded faun with goat legs, his head crowned with vine leaves, approaches while holding a bow. On the right, Cupid, winged and blindfolded, appears to offer him—or take from him—a dagger, while a quiver filled with arrows lies on the ground.

The complex symbolic language, classical figures and dramatic arrangement of the scene create a refined example of 19th-century French mythological painting, particularly interesting for collectors of Academic and Romantic art.

Origin: France
Period: Mid-19th century
Dimensions: 137 x 106h cm

SKU: 17542