Erminia and the Shepherds - Francesco de Mura (1696 -1782)

In this masterly painting, Francesco de Mura presents the meeting of Erminia and the shepherds, a famous episode taken from the seventh canto of Tarquino Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered. The artist is offering us a synthesis of the chromatic seductions of the rococo and neoclassical influences and presents a luminous, quiet version of this episode, in which the frieze of the main characters stands out against an Arcadian landscape.

1. Francesco de Mura, a rococo heir to the Neapolitan Baroque and a precursor of Neoclassicism

Francesco de Mura was born and died in Naples in 1696 and 1782 respectively. Like his contemporaries Giambattista Tiepolo (1696 - 1770), William Hogarth (1697 - 1764) and François Boucher (1703 - 1770), he is strongly, justifiably identified with his native place, to the extent that his art can be said to represent that place in his time.

After a short apprenticeship in the studio of the painter Domenico Viola, De Mura joined, at the age of 12, the studio of Francesco Solimena (1657 - 1747), the leading figure in Neapolitan painting since Giordano's death in 1705. He was to be durably influenced by Solimena's painting, although from 1730 onwards his art gradually began to differ, with a lighter chromatic range and a greater attention to the environment in which his characters are depicted.

Much of his work produced around 1730, was unfortunately lost to Allied bombing in 1945, when the abbey of Mont Cassin, for which he had produced over thirty paintings and frescoes, was bombed.
In 1742-1743, he spent 18 months at the court of Turin, where he had been invited by King Charles-Emmanuel III of Savoy. During this stay, he was influenced by other painters working for the monarch, in particular Carle van Loo (1705 - 1765) and Corrado Giaquinto (1703 - 1766). It was in Turin that his palette became definitively clearer; back in Naples, he asserted his style, which combines the lightness and dynamism of rococo with neoclassical-inspired forms. His characters are distinguished by their discreet, measured gestures, their studied attitudes subtly conveying their emotions in a pre-romantic manner.

In numerous compositions inspired by mythology, ancient history but also by Jerusalem Delivered, De Mura echoes the theatrical and operatic subjects of Pietro Metastasio, whose artistic ideals and cultural sensibility he shares. These works, to which the present one belongs, are characterized by the clarity of their composition, the elegance of forms and attitudes, all aimed at conveying the feelings that animate their characters.

Endowed with a remarkable longevity for his time, Francesco de Mura continued to paint right up to the end of his life, fulfilling his last commission (a series of door tops for the palace of Caserta) in 1782, the very year of his death.

2. Erminia and the Shepherds, an enchanted interlude in Jerusalem Delivered

Erminia is a princess of Antioch, whose story is told in the sixth and seventh cantos of Jerusalem Delivered. Out of love for Tancredi, Herminia steals the armor of Clorinda, a female warrior with whom Tancredi is in love, to join him and nurse him back to health after a battle in which he has been wounded. Arriving at the Christian camp, she is pursued by horsemen who mistake her for Clorinda.

Carried away by the gallop of her horse, Erminia escapes her pursuers but get lost into a deep forest. In the early hours of the morning, on the banks of the River Jordan, she meets an old shepherd who comforts her by offering her hospitality. She finds inner peace during this bucolic sojourn, melancholically engraving the name of Trancredi on the trees of the forest that surrounds her.

The noise and fury of the battles is followed by the peace of pastoral life, made up of simple pleasures that no one disturbs. Some commentators have seen Herminia as a double of Torquato Tasso, disillusioned by the intrigues of the Ferrara court, which he dreamed of deserting. Like the author, Erminia oscillates between the extremes of euphoria and depression; fragile, she feels as an alien. While the disguise with Clorinda's armor gives her the illusion of a false identity, more courageous and unscrupulous, it does not free her from her true nature: timid, passionate and distraught.

The story of Erminia had also seduced Pietro Metastasio (1698 - 1782), a poet and opera librettist contemporary of De Mura, who is said to have written the libretto for the eponymous serenade premiered in Naples on June 13, 1723 with a music by Scarlatti (with the famous castrato Farinelli in the title role).

3. Description of the artwork and related artworks

Francesco de Mura depicts the decisive moment of the unexpected encounter between Erminia, just off her horse, and an elderly shepherd, in an Arcadian setting on the banks of the Jordan River. The appearance of the two main characters is theatrical, as Erminia's contraposto posture opposes that of the shepherd. This type of composition can be found in other artworks by Francesco de Mura, such as Christ and the Samaritan Woman (1752) in the Seattle Museum (7th photo in the gallery).

A comparison with a painting of the same subject by Solimena (recently on sale at Pandolfini - 8th photo in the gallery) sheds light on the particularity of Francesco de Mura's art. It illustrates the lasting influence of Solimena on his pupil (which can be seen in particular in the figure of the old shepherd, presented by Francesco de Mura in a position very similar to that used by Solimena), but also the fundamental differences in the pictorial approach developed by Francesco de Mura: simplification of forms, lightening of the chromatic range, attention paid to the surrounding landscape.

This artistic evolution - and persistent filiation - can also be illustrated by a youthful work by Francesco de Mura (9th photo in the gallery), presented at Sotheby's in 2008. The composition of this early version remains very similar to Solimena's, even if it is greatly simplified by the disappearance of the winged figures.

The very tight framing echoes Solimena's composition, and does not offer the opening onto an idyllic landscape. Erminia, shown taking off her helmet, is rather ungraceful; the shepherd, who is portrayed in a statical manner, does not have the virtuoso elegance he will acquire in the definitive version which we are presenting.

In the painting we are presenting, the artist anticipates neoclassical compositions through the figure of Erminia, who evokes Roman statues of Athena with her helmet, but also through the use of bright colors and simple forms, as in the discreet still life of geometrically shaped containers displayed at Erminia's feet.

Another version of the same subject belongs to the Bavarian State Collections (10th photo in the gallery). These two versions are very similar, and it is difficult to determine whether one predates the other. The main differences are Herminia's right hand, which is holding a spear pointing to the ground in the Bavarian version, and the presence of a figure beside the hut in the background. Our work is also listed in the Fondation Zeri's photographic archives (11th photo in the gallery).

4. Provenance and framing

This painting was first presented at auction with Sotheby & Co in London in 1963. The sale included paintings from various English private collections (Duke of Fife, Mrs L.M.H Blyth, Mrs J.G Hickson, Baroness J.M De Lagatinerie, Major A. Binny), and it is likely that this painting might be a souvenir of the Grand Tour, of which around 1760 Naples was an essential stopover.

Our painting is presented in an 18th-century Italian carved and gilded wood frame, which is probably its original frame.

Main bibliographical reference :
Arthur R. Blumenthal - In the light of Naples - the Art of Francesco de Mura - Giles London 2016