The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 19, 2024

Pan and Syrinx

Pan and Syrinx

1720
(French, 1679–1752)
Framed: 123.5 x 159.5 x 12 cm (48 5/8 x 62 13/16 x 4 3/4 in.); Unframed: 106 x 139 cm (41 3/4 x 54 3/4 in.)

Description

Subjects drawn from classical mythology posed a challenge for painters: they demanded skill in depicting the human body in complex poses, as well as knowledge of ancient texts and an ability to interpret them imaginatively. Jean François de Troy’s rich colors and voluptuous figure types were ideal for depicting the sorts of mythological subjects favored by his elite patrons, which generally focused on themes of love. In a myth recounted in the Roman poet Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the nymph Syrinx fled from the lecherous advances of the god Pan. Trapped at the edge of a river, she begged for a way to escape, and the gods transformed her into reeds. Pan later gathered these reeds to form the pan pipes, the musical instrument forever associated with him.
  • 1973-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
    1973
    (Herner Wengraf/Old Masters Galleries, London, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1973
    (Christie’s, London, sale, June 29, 1973, no. 93, sold to Herner Wengraf)
    Untiel 1973
    George Ortiz [1927-2013], Geneva, consigned to Christie’s
    After 1934-before 1973
    Graziella Patiño de Ortiz-Linares [b. c. 1908-1980], to her son, George Ortiz
    1934-
    Page?1
    1934
    (Galerie Charpentier, Paris, Chaix d’Est-Ange sale, Dec. 11, 1934, lot 46, sold to “Page”)
    1923-1934
    Family of Gustave Chaix d’Est-Ange III, consigned to Galerie Charpentier
    1917-1923
    Gustave Chaix d’Est-Ange III [1863-1923], by descent to his family
    1882-1917
    Jeanne Sipière Chaix d’Est-Ange [1843-1917], to her son, Gustave Chaix d’Est-Ange III
  • Cleveland Museum of Art. European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982. 

    Christie, Manson & Woods. Highly Important Pictures by Old Masters: The Properties of the Parish of All Hallows Berkyngechirche by the Tower ... and from Other Sources, Which Will Be Sold at Auction by Christie, Manson & Woods ... Friday, June 29, 1973. London: Christie, Manson & Woods, 1973. 
    Cleveland Museum of Art. European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982. 

    Christie, Manson & Woods. Highly Important Pictures by Old Masters: The Properties of the Parish of All Hallows Berkyngechirche by the Tower ... and from Other Sources, Which Will Be Sold at Auction by Christie, Manson & Woods ... Friday, June 29, 1973. London: Christie, Manson & Woods, 1973. 
    Cleveland Museum of Art. European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982. 
    Christie, Manson & Woods. Highly Important Pictures by Old Masters: The Properties of the Parish of All Hallows Berkyngechirche by the Tower ... and from Other Sources, Which Will Be Sold at Auction by Christie, Manson & Woods ... Friday, June 29, 1973. London: Christie, Manson & Woods, 1973. 
    Cleveland Museum of Art. European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982. 

    Christie, Manson & Woods. Highly Important Pictures by Old Masters: The Properties of the Parish of All Hallows Berkyngechirche by the Tower ... and from Other Sources, Which Will Be Sold at Auction by Christie, Manson & Woods ... Friday, June 29, 1973. London: Christie, Manson & Woods, 1973. 
    Galerie Charpentier. Collection Chaix d’Est-Ange, partie de cette collection appartenant à Monsier le Comte de X….Tableaux anciens…don’t la vente…aura lieu à Paris, Galerie Jean Charpentier…11 décembre 1934.  Paris, 1934. 
    Cleveland Museum of Art. European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982.
    Galerie Charpentier. Collection Chaix d’Est-Ange, partie de cette collection appartenant à Monsier le Comte de X….Tableaux anciens…don’t la vente…aura lieu à Paris, Galerie Jean Charpentier…11 décembre 1934.  Paris, 1934. 
    Christie, Manson & Woods. Highly Important Pictures by Old Masters: The Properties of the Parish of All Hallows Berkyngechirche by the Tower ... and from Other Sources, Which Will Be Sold at Auction by Christie, Manson & Woods ... Friday, June 29, 1973. London: Christie, Manson & Woods, 1973. 
    Cleveland Museum of Art. European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982.
    Galerie Charpentier. Collection Chaix d’Est-Ange, partie de cette collection appartenant à Monsier le Comte de X….Tableaux anciens…don’t la vente…aura lieu à Paris, Galerie Jean Charpentier…11 décembre 1934.  Paris, 1934. 
    Christie, Manson & Woods. Highly Important Pictures by Old Masters: The Properties of the Parish of All Hallows Berkyngechirche by the Tower ... and from Other Sources, Which Will Be Sold at Auction by Christie, Manson & Woods ... Friday, June 29, 1973. London: Christie, Manson & Woods, 1973. 
    Cleveland Museum of Art. European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982. 

    Galerie Charpentier. Collection Chaix d’Est-Ange, partie de cette collection appartenant à Monsier le Comte de X….Tableaux anciens…don’t la vente…aura lieu à Paris, Galerie Jean Charpentier…11 décembre 1934.  Paris, 1934. 
    Ann Tzeutschler Lurie, letter to Philipe-Gerard Chabert, Dec. 15, 1977, in CMA curatorial file.
    Philipe-Gerard Chabert, letter to Ann Tzeutschler Lurie, Aug. 8, 1978, in CMA curatorial file.
    Cleveland Museum of Art. European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982. 

    Ann Tzeutschler Lurie, letter to Philipe-Gerard Chabert, Dec. 15, 1977, in CMA curatorial file.
    Philipe-Gerard Chabert, letter to Ann Tzeutschler Lurie, Aug. 8, 1978, in CMA curatorial file.
    Du Teil, Baron Josef. "La Collection Chaix d'Est-Ange." Les Arts VI, no. 67 (July 1907): 2-35. Mentioned: p. 18
    Talboot, William S. "Jean-Francois de Troy, Pan and Syrinx." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art LXI, no. 10 (October, 1974): 250-259. Reproduced: cover, p. 249, p. 250,
    "The Year in Review for 1973." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 61, no. 2 (1974): 31-78. Referenced: p. 74, cat. no. 44; Reproduced: p. 44 www.jstor.org
    Rosenberg, Pierre. The Age of Louis XV: French Painting 1710-1774 : [Exhibition Catalogue] 1975-1976, Toledo, OH: The Toledo Museum of Art, October 26-December 7; Chicago, IL: The Art Institute of Chicago, January 10-February 22; Ottawa, Ontario: The National Gallery of Canada, March 21-May 2; Toledo, OH: Toledo Museum of Art, 1975. Reproduced: p. 75
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 176 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. Mentioned: p. 143-144; Reproduced: p. 144
    Bordeaux, Jean-Luc. François Le Moyne and His Generation, 1688-1737. Neuilly-sur-Seine, France: Arthena, 1984. Reproduced: p. 129, fig. 363
    Bailey, Colin B., and Carrie A. Hamilton. The Loves of the Gods: Mythological Painting from Watteau to David. New York, NY: Rizzoli, 1992. Reproduced: p. 216
    Sestieri, Giancarlo. Repertorio della pittura romana della fine del Seicento e del Settecento. Torino, Italy: U. Allemandi, 1994. Reproduced: pl. no. 1108
    Sakamoto, Mitsuru. Rokoko. Tōkyō, Japan: Shōgakkan, 1996. Reproduced: fig. 53, vol. 18-92
    Leribault, Christophe. Jean-François de Troy, 1679-1752. Paris, France: Arthena, 2002. Reproduced: p. 84, p. 250
    Gustin-Gomez, Clémentine. L'avènement du plaisir dans la peinture française: de Le Brun à Watteau. Quétigny, France: Faton, 2011. Reproduced: p. 27, fig. 318
  • Year in Review: 1973. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 30-March 17, 1974).
  • {{cite web|title=Pan and Syrinx|url=false|author=Jean François de Troy|year=1720|access-date=19 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1973.212