Aristaeus and Proteus at The Palace of Versailles, France by Scan The World

Description

The subject of this group is taken from Virgil's Georgics. Aristaeus was a shepherd, son of Apollo and the nymph Cyrene, and he kept bees. He pursued the nymph Eurydice who was killed by a serpent which she disturbed when fleeing from him. In revenge, her companion Nymphs killed Aristaeus' bees. His mother advised him to ask Proteus, guardian of the sea-monsters, for advice as Proteus could foretell the future. But Proteus was elusive, frequently changing his appearance or disappearing, so he had to be tied down. It is this dramatic moment which is depicted here: Aristaeus is securing the struggling Proteus, who is accompanied by two seals. The dynamic pose of the bee-keeper is perhaps inspired by the figures of youths in the monumental ancient marble group of the Farnese Bull (Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples), that was coveted by the French king, Louis XIV. This group originated in a commission to Sebastien Slodtz, first mentioned in 1688, for a large-scale marble group of this subject for a prominent location along the central axis of the garden at Versailles. Slodtz's master, the better-known sculptor François Girardon, worked out the design which survives in a pen and wash drawing by him. Girardon exhibited a bronze of this subject at the Salon of 1704, and it is shown as being on display in engravings of his studio. It is believed that the V&A bronze was the one in these records, owned by Girardon. The composition marked a shift in sculpture at Versailles from the…