Jupiter And Antiope, Flemish artist of the 17th century

Anthoon van Dyck (Antwerp 1599 - London 1641) follower

Large canvas depicting ‘The Myth of Jupiter and Antiope’
(Ovid's Meramorphoses, Book VI)

Oil on canvas
116 x 150 cm. - with frame 133 x 165 cm.

We are sharing a valuable work, able to fascinate any connoisseur or collector of works from the Flemish Golden Age: we are talking about a painting of the famous ‘Jupiter and Antiope’ painted by Anthoon van Dyck (Antwerp 1599 - London 1641) in 1620, of which several examples are known, one of which is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent, another in the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne (imm1 and imm2).

This episode, taken from Book VI of Ovid's Metamorphoses, shows the seduction of the nymph Antiope by the god Jupiter. The beautiful nymph, asleep and lying on the ground wrapped in a red drape, was seduced by the Lord of Olympus, who took the form of a satyr for the occasion, as he could not have her in divine form.

Van Dyck depicts here the moment of the initial deception, when Antiope abandons herself in the embrace of Jupiter, who lasciviously crawls silently towards her bed with his hand outstretched to touch her. He is depicted with the horns and hairy legs of a satyr, while his muscular build and the eagle in the background allude to his true identity as Jupiter, king of the gods.

The plasticity of the figures and the combination of colours, intense and bright, are exceptional and enhance the sensual character of this composition, enhanced by the bold and sculptural poses.

Consider that Van Dyck was only 20 years old when he created this painting, demonstrating an astonishing artistic maturity, with a scene of strong sensual character, and his virtuosity in immortalising nude figures.

In fact, the painting was immediately appreciated by 17th-century collectors who, under the pretext of the mythological theme, had the excuse of admiring subjects with a markedly erotic tone (always considering the historical context) without fear of repercussions.

The work's success encouraged its widespread diffusion, so much so that numerous paintings are known to have been executed by artists either chronologically close to Van Dyck or active at a time immediately after its creation, in order to please some patrons who wished to keep their own version.

It is our opinion that the painting presented here, finely executed, is the work of a Flemish artist, active between the 17th and 18th century, to be sought among the followers of Anthony van Dyck, who masterfully reworked his masterpiece.