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Nymphs and a Satyr (Amor Vincit Omnia)

c. 1625-1627

Nicolas Poussin

(French, 1594-1665)

France, 17th century

Oil on canvas

Framed: 121 x 152 x 7 cm (47 5/8 x 59 13/16 x 2 3/4 in.); Unframed: 97 x 127.5 cm (38 3/16 x 50 3/16 in.)

Gift of J. H. Wade 1926.26

Location

212 Baroque Painting and Sculpture

Description

Like his colleague Claude Lorrain, Poussin depicted historical and mythological subjects in landscapes inspired by the countryside around Rome. His themes were often complex, and frequently incorporated witty allusions to classical texts. Here, a playful cupid tugs Pan, the goatlegged Greek god of the woods, toward Venus, the goddess of love. The painting cleverly illustrates the Latin phrase amor vincit omnia, or “love conquers all” (in Greek, pan means “all”). The woodland setting represents the idyllic paradise of Pan’s home.

Provenance

Cohen

David Horner, London, by 1925

Durlacher Brothers (London, England), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1926.

J. S. W.S. Erle Drax, Esq., Olantigh Towers, Wye, Kent, sold Christie's,London, February 19 and 21, 1910, lot 105, to Cohen

Lord Northwick, Thirlestane House, near Cheltenham, by 1837, sold, Phillips, London, August 24, 1859, lot 1809)

Lord Radstock, sold, Christie's, London, May 13, 1826, lot 27)

Private collection, sold Phillips, London, 1829)

Cassiano dal Pozzo (Rome, Italy) to Gabriele dal Pozzo (1695, 1740)

Citations

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1928. Reproduced: p. 34 archive.org

Paintings in the Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland]: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1945. Reproduced: p. 28 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 479 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 116 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Catalogue of Paintings, Part 3: European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982. Reproduced: p. 118; Mentioned: p. 119-120

Coen, Paolo, ed. The Art Market in Rome in the Eighteenth Century: A Study in the Social History of Art. Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2019. Mentioned: p. 77; Reproduced: p.79

Exhibition history

Paris, Petit Palais, 1925: "Exposiion du Paysage Francais de Poussin à Corot," cat. no. 270.

CMA, 1936: "the Twentieth Anniverary Exhibiton of the CMA," cat. no. 227, repr.

Rochester, New York, Memoril Art Gallery, Dec. 4-Dec. 31, 1936: "Rebels in Art," (no catalogue).

New York, m. Knoedler & co., April 10-may 6, 1939: "Loan Exhibition, Pollaiuolo to Picasso-Classics of the Nude," cat. no. 12, repr. pl. 12.

Columbus (Ohio) Gallery of Fine Art, October 5-November 5, 1939: "A Concert of Masterpieces," catalogue: Colmbus Gallery of Fine Arts Monthly Bulletin, October, 1939, no. 8.

New York, Durlacher Brothers, March 13-April 6, 1940: "Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings by Nicolas Poussin," (no catalogue; for the benefit of the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University).

New York, World's Fair, May 11-October 28, 1940: "Masterpieces of Art," cat. no. 58,

CMA, 1956: "The Venetian Tradition," cat. no. 31, repr. (catalogue by Henry S Francis).

Akron (Ohio) Art Institute, December 1, 1964-January 3, 1965: "Our Neighboring Museum," (no catalogue).

Paris 1960, no. 33

Rome, Italy; Comune di Roma-Palazzo delle Esposizioni, 11/26/98 - 3/1/99 "The first Roman Years of Nicolas Poussin" (I primi anni romani.) Exhibition catalog no. 20, p. 72.

Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao (10/8/2007 - 1/13/2008) and Metropolitan Museum of Art (2/11/2008 - 5/11/2008): "Poussin and Nature", ex. cat. no. 14, p.158-159.

Art of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 9-December 2, 1934).

The Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition: The Official Art Exhibit of the Great Lakes Exposition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 26-October 12, 1936).

The Silver Jubilee Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 23-September 28, 1941).

The Venetian Tradition. The Cleveland Museum of Art (November 8, 1956-January 1, 1957).

The First Roman Years of Nicolas Poussin. Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome (November 26, 1998-March 1, 1999).

Poussin and Nature. Museo de Bellas Artes, Bilbao (October 8, 2007-January 13, 2008); The Metropolitan Museum of Art (organizer) (February 11-May 11, 2008).

Cite this page

{{cite web|title=Nymphs and a Satyr (Amor Vincit Omnia)|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/1926.26|author=Nicolas Poussin|year=c. 1625-1627|access-date=17 November 2019|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

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Nymphs and a Satyr (Amor Vincit Omnia)

Nymphs and a Satyr (Amor Vincit Omnia)

Nicolas Poussin

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