Galatea (Raphael)
| The Triumph of Galatea | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Raphael |
| Year | c. 1512 |
| Type | Fresco |
| Location | Villa Farnesina, Rome |
The Triumph of Galatea is a fresco completed around 1512 by the Italian painter Raphael for the Villa Farnesina in Rome.[1]
The Farnesina was built for the
Raphael did not paint any of the main events of the story. He chose the scene of the nymph's apotheosis (Stanze, I, 118–119). Galatea appears surrounded by other sea creatures whose forms are somewhat inspired by Michelangelo,[citation needed] whereas the bright colors and decoration are supposed to be inspired by ancient Roman painting. At the left, a Triton (partly man, partly fish) abducts a sea nymph; behind them, another Triton uses a shell as a trumpet. Galatea rides a shell-chariot drawn by two dolphins.
While some have seen in the model for Galatea the image of the courtesan,
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Raphael, Galatea, at Khan Academy. |
In a letter to Baldassare Castiglione, Raphael dictated via Pietro Aretino, that "to paint a beauty, I should have to see a number of beauties, provided Your Lordship were with me to choose the best. But in the absence of good judges and beautiful forms, I use an idea that comes to my mind."[3]
Antonio Sgamellotti of the Lincei Academy and his colleagues analyzed the chemical composition of the blue pigment in the sea and sky of Triumph of Galatea. Sgamellotti said the researchers found evidence of Egyptian blue, a pigment thought to have been replaced after the fall of the Roman Empire with the use of lapis lazuli. Raphael may have chosen to recreate the brilliant pigment for this depiction of the heroine of a Greek myth because of his interest in the ancient world, Sgamellotti explained.[4]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b Gombrich 1989, pp. 240–245.
- ^ "Sala di Galatea". Miami University School of Creative Arts, 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013. Archived 27 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Salmi et al. 1969, p. 529.
- ^ Ansa 2020.
References
- ISBN 0714825840.
- Salmi, Mario; Becherucci, Luisa; Marabottini, Alessandro; Tempesti, Anna Forlani; Marchini, Giuseppe; Becatti, Giovanni; Castagnoli, Ferdinando; Golzio, Vincenzo (1969). The Complete Work of Raphael. New York: Reynal and Co., William Morrow and Company. p. 529.
- Ansa (23 September 2020). "Raphael used Egyptian blue in Galatea". ANSA. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
External links
Media related to Raphael's Triumph of Galatea at Wikimedia Commons
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