The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 28, 2024

The Triumph of Neptune and Amphitrite

The Triumph of Neptune and Amphitrite

1630s
(Flemish, 1581–1642)
Framed: 36.2 x 43.8 x 3.8 cm (14 1/4 x 17 1/4 x 1 1/2 in.); Unframed: 23.5 x 30.9 cm (9 1/4 x 12 3/16 in.)

Did You Know?

The smooth surface of the copper panel highlights Francken's delicate painting technique.

Description

Neptune—the Roman god of water—and his wife, Amphitrite, ride a chariot pulled by sea horses. Water fowl and flying fish glide in the sky above them, while in the distance a group of nymphs beckon from a grotto. Neptune’s trident represents his power over water and storms; the fish, shells, coral, and pearls carried by his subjects show his wealth.
  • Mrs. Noah L. Butkin, (Shaker Heights, Ohio), by gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982.
  • Turner, Evan H. "Year in Review for 1983." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 71, no. 2 (1984): 38-79. Referenced: cat. no. 8, Reproduced: p. 61 www.jstor.org
    Chong, Alan. European & American Painting in the Cleveland Museum of Art: A Summary Catalogue. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1993. Reproduced: p. 79
    Bass, Marisa. "Jan Gossaert's Neptune and Amphitrite Reconsidered" in Simiolus: Netherlands Quarterly for the History of Art 35, No. 1/2 (2011): 61-84. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 72, fig. 10
    Rosenthal, Lisa. "Frans Francken the Younger's Discovery of Achilles: Desire, Deception, and Inalienable Possession." In Ut Pictura Amor: The Reflexive Imagery of Love in Artistic Theory and Practice, 1500-1700. Walter S. Melion, Joanna Woodall, and Michael Zell, 704-729. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2017. Mentioned: p. 706; Reproduced: p. 707, fig. 20.2
  • The Year in Review for 1983. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 22-April 8, 1984).
  • {{cite web|title=The Triumph of Neptune and Amphitrite|url=false|author=Frans Francken|year=1630s|access-date=28 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1982.245