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Paintings, drawings and works of art from 16th to 20th century
Oil on canvas, 46.5 x 55 cm
Signed with the artist's monogram and dated 1814
Inspired by Ovid's "Metamorphoses", this neoclassical landscape depicts Actaeon, a skilled hunter, accidentally surprising the goddess Diana (or Artemis) while she is swimming. Furious at being spied on, she transforms him into a stag and unleashes her own pack against him, which devours him without recognizing its master. This mythological passage has spanned the centuries, inspiring many artists, including Titian (1488-1576), Jan Brueghel (1568-1625) and François Clouet (1520-1572). Our later work gives a prominent place to the landscape, the main scene is almost hidden behind lush vegetation. The artist inherited this attraction to landscapes from his masters, Jean-Victor BERTIN (1767-1842) and Pierre-Luc CICÉRI (1782-1868), an emblematic figure of neoclassical landscape painting. It is also highly likely that our work was created in Bertin's studio. Enfantin asserted his taste for landscapes through other works such as "View of the Forest of Fontainebleau" and "View of Mount Pausilippe". The Druet gallery exhibited his paintings alongside those of Eugène ISABEY (1803-1886), praising their finesse and light.
