The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 20, 2025
Vertumnus and Pomona
c. 1776
(French, 1752–1814)
after Antoine Coypel
Sheet: 33.3 x 26.5 cm (13 1/8 x 10 7/16 in.)
Catalogue raisonné: Inventaire du Fonds Français 18 siècle 32
Location: Not on view
Description
In 1774 Louis-Marin Bonnet developed yet another technical innovation: a printed gold leaf border. Janinet, who had been Bonnet's student, adopted this practice. However, because the use of gold leaf by printmakers was illegal (they were not among the trades officially allowed to use it), the two artists produced only about 20 prints with gold frames before they were caught by the authorities. In classical mythology, Pomona was a nymph who grew fruit but did not allow men to enter her orchard. Vertumnus, a handsome young man, disguised himself as an old woman to gain entry. After telling Pomona stories of love, he removed his disguise and won her hand.- Inventive Impressions: 18th- and 19-Century French Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-October 28, 2001).The Cleveland Museum of Art; 8/26/01-10/28/01. "Inventive Impressions: 18th- and 19th-Century French Prints".The Year in Review for 1987. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 24-April 17, 1988).
- {{cite web|title=Vertumnus and Pomona|url=false|author=Jean François Janinet, Antoine Coypel|year=c. 1776|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1987.90