HUM 2210
Ringling Museum Study Guide
Courtyard Sculpture
Find in the courtyard a copy of the following Greek and Hellenistic sculptures:
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Laocoon and his Sons
Wounded Gaul
Sleeping Faun
A Greek sculpture that could be from the early Classical period
A “Modest Venus” inspired by Praxiteles’ Venus of Cnidus
Discobolus (Discus Thrower)
Sculpture representing a River
The Capitoline Wolf (wolf breastfeeding Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome)
Gallery 3: Late Gothic & Renaissance Art in Northern Europe, 1350-1550
Observe in this room the Gothic aediculae (house looking structures
sheltering an image). These aediculae (“little houses” in Latin) are
built in the style of the great European Gothic cathedrals.
 Is this style simple or ornate?
 Which seem to be important features of the style?
Gallery 4 & 5: Renaissance Art in Italy, 1350-1550
EXERCISE 1: Giovanni del Biondo, Madonna and Child with Saints and Angels
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1. What color is the background? What effect does this have on the religious meaning of the
painting?
2. How realistic is this painting? Does it provide any sense of depth?
3. Does the frame of this painting help you situate it in a particular period?
4. Byzantine Art had a lasting influence on the art of the late Middle Ages and Early Renaissance.
Can you find any similarities between this painting and the Byzantine Mosaic I have provided
for comparison?. Can you find any differences? Which one represents the interaction between a
mother and her child more naturalistically?
5. Can you find any other Byzantine looking paintings in this room?
Other interesting works:
The Italian Renaissance was a return to the artistic styles and themes of the Greek and Roman world. In fact the world
“Re-naissance” means “re-birth.” You will find in this admiration for Antiquity in this room. Note the following:
A Battle Between Romans and Gauls, c. 1450.
EXERCISE 2: Roman vs. Renaissance Portraiture
Roman bust, 1st cent. BCE
Benedetto da Maiano, Italian, 1442-1497, active in Florence, Rome, and
Naples, Portrait Bust of Giovanni Giovano Pontano, c. 1490
This portrait of a Renaissance Humanist imitates very closely the portraits
of Roman noblemen, like the Roman bust in the picture. Compare the
images.
1. What impression do these men give? Are they serious?
2. Are these portraits idealized?
3. Would a Renaissance humanist have been dressed like Pontano
in this image? Why is he wearing a tunic?
Gallery 6: The High Renaissance in Venice and Northern Italy, 1500-1600
EXERCISE 3: Esther before Ahasuerus, Antonio Palma, active in Venice, 1574
Ta
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1. Visual analysis (See Power Point):
a) What are the most salient features of his painting? Compare it to Tintoretto’s painting and pay
attention to the architectural elements (floors, columns….) What effect do they have on the painting?
What style of architecture does the artist seem to portray?
b) How is Esther dressed? Is this a faithful representation of a 5th century BCE princess in the Persian
court? Explain.
2. Contextual analysis: Read the information about this painting here and answer the questions below:
a) Why is Esther’s behavior heroic? What are the consequences of her daring?
b) How does the story relate to the relationships between France, Venice, and Spain in the late
1500? What countries/ cities are represented in the painting?
c) How is the Venetian courtesan Veronica Franco (main character in the movie Dangerous Beauty)
related to this painting?
d) Read the poem by Veronic a Franco below? Who is the “Henri” she refers to in the poem?
What relationship does she have with him? What “presents” have the exchanged?
As sometimes from heaven to humble roofs
Jupiter, benign, descends to us here below
and, to prevent earthly eyes from being blinded
by such a sublime sight, takes human form;
So to my modest dwelling
without the shine and dazzle of royal pomp
came Henri, called to so vast a kingdom
that one world alone cannot contain it.
Although he came disguised, he nonetheless
so imprinted upon my heart his heavenly merit
that my natural strength abandoned me.
So, being assured of my great affection,
with a gracious and open spirit, he took my portrait,
worked in colored
enamel, away with him.
Gallery 7: French Artists in Rome
In this room you will find the same fascination for the Classical World that is so characteristic of the Renaissance in
Italy and France. Consider the following paintings:
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What aspects of the Ancient World have seduced these painters?
Are these historically accurate representations of the Ancient World?
Are the paintings realistic or do they suggest an idealized view of the past?
Simon Vouet, active in Rome and Paris, Time Discovering the Love of Venus and
Mars, c. 1640
As told in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Venus, married to Vulcan, had an affair with Mars,
the god of war, and this illicit union produced Cupid, the god of love. Vulcan
conspired to ensnare the lovers in a fine metal net, yet Vouet’s intepretation on the
story shows the figure of Time revealing the affair to the gods.
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Jacques Stella, Rome, and Paris, King Candaules Shows Gyges his WifeQueen
Nyssia, c. 1645.
Theme: This painting illustrates a passage from The Histories of the Greek Historian
Herodotus. In this scene Candaules, a 7th century B.C.E. Lydian king, intentionally
exposed his naked wife, Queen Nyssia, to his hesitant servant, Gyges. Upon learning
of the plot, the enraged Nyssia enlisted Gyges to kill her husband. The servant
obliged, avenging the queen’s honor. Gyges eventually married Nyssia and became
King of Lydia.
Claude Vignon, active in Rome and Paris, The Banquet of Anthony and Cleopatra,
c. 1640
A famous story from ancient history about the courtship of the Roman general
Anthony and the Egyptian queen Cleopatra concerns a contest in the form of a
banquet. Each presented dishes reflecting their great wealth. Anthony served
exquisite morsels on elaborate gold tableware. Cleopatra held out a cup of wine and
dropped a large pearl inside, offering it to Anthony to drink. The pearl dissolved in
the wine, and Cleopatra won the contest.
Gallery 8 and 10: Baroque Art in Italy, 1600-1700
EXERCISE 4: Francesco del Cairo, active in Milan and Turin,
Judith with the Head of Holofernes, c. 1630-35.
a) What is the subject of the painting? Who is this woman and whom
has she beheaded? Why? In order to answer read a summary of the
story here. You can also read in the Bible: Apocrypha, Book of
Judith, 13. You can read the biblical passage dealing with the
beheading here.
b) Notice the emotion in the moment preceding the beheading:
“And Judith stood before the bed praying with tears, and the motion of her lips in silence, saying: “Strengthen me, O
Lord God of Israel, and in this hour look on the works of my hands, that as thou hast promised, thou must raise up
Jerusalem thy city: and that I may bring to pass that which I have purposed, having a belief that it might be done by
thee.”
Has del Cairo captured the emotional state of the subject?
1. How original is this painting. Compare it with other works by the same artist. (see Power
Point) What elements characterize his treatment of female heroines?
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Other works of interest
Deianira Abducted by the Centaur Nessus, by Padovanino (Allesandro Varotari),
1627
Hercules, the son of Jove, was travelling with his new bride, Deianira, when he came
to the river Evenus which was a raging torrent due to increased rain. It appeared
just about impossible to cross. Hercules had no fear for himself but was troubled for
his wife. Nessus, the centaur, came up and offered to carry Deianira across as he was
very strong and well acquainted with the river. Hercules accepted the offer and after
throwing his club and curved bow across jumped in and swam across the river to
the other side. Once Hercules was across the river, Nessus betrayed his promise and
attempted to abduct Deianira rather than to carry her across the river. Hercules,
hearing Deianira's screams then shot a poisened arrow at Nessus which pierced him
in the back and killed him.
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Is this scene harmonious and organized or agitated and chaotic? Why?
Does this painting remind you of the style and purpose of Classical Greek art or does it resemble
more the art of the Hellenistic period?
Notice that the theme of the kidnapping and rape of female figures is ubiquitous in Greek
mythology. See Power Point for other examples. Are these scenes sensual despite their violence?
Gerard van Kuijl, attributed to, active in Rome and Gorinchem,
Narcissus, c. 1645
According to the Greek myth, Narcissus was a beautiful youth who, after rejecting
the nymph Echo, was made to fall in love with his own reflection. Unable to grasp
the object of his love, and too captivated to draw himself away, Narcissus wasted
away and died. He was changed into the flower that now bears his name.
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How does the lighting in this work accentuate the tragic aspects of the story?
Narcissus appears very still. What is about to happen as he reaches for the water?
How does this story explain the term “narcissistic”?
Lodovico David, The Judgment of Paris, c. 1690
The painting depicts the mythological contest in which the shepherd, Paris, must choose
the fairest of three goddesses whose prize was a golden apple. Each, in turn, attempts to
bribe Paris before he ultimately chooses Aphrodite (with the green mantle) and her offer
of any woman on earth, a decision ultimately leading to the Trojan War.
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Galleries 11 and 12: Dutch Realism and Representation, 1600-1700
Notice the abundance of portraits and still lives and the absence of overtly religious art and mythological themes. Why
does the art in Northern Europe turn to these subjects?
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During the Lutheran Reformation overtly religious subjects were abandoned (and often times religious art –
sculptures, paintings, stained glass windows- was destroyed by Calvinist mobs). The painting below shows the
whitewashed interior of a Calvinist church. Note the absence of sculptures and stain glass windows, the simplicity of
the space, and the very subtle religious message: live on earth is only temporary.
Hendrick Cornelisz. van Vliet, Dutch, 1611/12-1675, active in Delft, Interior of the
Pieterskerk in Leiden, 1653
Gallery 13: Rubens and his School, 1600-1700
Peter Paul Rubens, studio of, Danaë and the Shower of Gold, c. 1616/18
The ancient writer Ovid tells of the princess Danaë who was imprisoned in a tower
by her father, Acrisius, because a prophecy stated that he would be killed by his
daughter’s son. While secluded, Danaë was seduced by the ruler of the gods, Zeus,
disguised as a shower of gold. We see her gaze upward at the apparition while her
old servant tries to catch the coins that are often used symbolically to represent the
golden presence of Zeus. A son, Perseus, was born of this illicit encounter and he did
indeed fulfill the prophecy by accidentally killing his grandfather during a game of
discus.
Let’s reread the poem by Veronica Franco”.
As sometimes from heaven to humble roofs
Jupiter, benign, descends to us here below
and, to prevent earthly eyes from being blinded
by such a sublime sight, takes human form;
So to my modest dwelling
without the shine and dazzle of royal pomp
came Henri
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What is the mythological story she is referring to?
Who is she comparing the king to?
Peter Paul Rubens, Thetis Dipping Achilles into the River Styx, c. 1630-35
Thetis dips her infant son Achilles into the river Styx as protection against the early
death prophesized for him. Only the heel by which she holds him remains
vulnerable and is where an arrow will strike and kill this future hero of
the Trojan War. This scene is the first in a series of eight works on the life of Achilles
that was made into tapestries.
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Note the depiction of Hades. What does the place look like?
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Gallery 18: The European Grand Tour, 1700-1800
You are now in the heart of the Neoclassical era. In the 1700 another re-birth of Classical Antiquity took place. The
cities of Pompei and Herculaneum were first discovered and excavated (pillaged would be more appropriate) at this
time. The artifacts coming from these ancient towns had enormous influence on the artistic manifestations of this
period as you will see. Appart from decorating their houses with paintings and sculptures with Classical themes and
styles, and with images of the places they had visited, the aristocrats of this time became important collectors of
Classical Antiquities.
Works of interest:
Classical Mythology is a very important source of inspiration. Observe the frequent depiction of famous passages
from ancient epics such as the Aeneid and the Odyssey.
Sebastiano Conca, The Vision of Aeneas in the Elysian Fields, c. 1735-40
You have seen some images of Hades today. Now you are contemplating the Elysian
Fields, Virgil’s version of Paradise.
This work depicts a passage from Virgil’s Aeneid, the epic story of the Trojan warrior
Aeneas whose descendants would found Rome. The helmeted hero descends to
Elysium, the part of the underworld reserved for heroes whose souls will be reborn.
Surrounded by future Roman leaders (including Emperor Augustus on horseback), Anchises, Aeneas’ deceased father,
tells his son of the grandeur Rome will enjoy. Venus, Aeneas’ mother, and Mercury hover above the central figures in a
chariot, while Virgil plays a lute on the left. If you want to know more click on this link:
http://www.willemswebs.com/ringlingdocents/aeneas.htm
These two paintings represent scenes from Homer’s Odyssey: the episodes of Calypso and Circe
*Gallery 17: Arcadian Landscapes also borrows from the Classical tradition by reproducing scenes of a harmonious
pastoral world (Arcadia) present in the poetry of Theocritus and Virgil.
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Can you find any other examples of works inspired by Greek mythology or history in these rooms?
Classical harmony: Note the balance and proportion in the paintings below.
o In terms of the style do they remind you of the artistic conventions of Classical Greek Art or
the art of the Hellenistic period?
o Are these women idealized or realistically portrayed?
Angelica Kauffmann, Swiss, 1741-1807, active in London and Rome, Sappho Inspired by
Love, 1775
In this work, Sappho, the Greek poet, is writing the verse from her Ode to Aphrodite:
“So come again and deliver me from intolerable pain.” Sappho was also the symbol
of women’s achievements in the arts, which Kauffman struggled to gain.
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The artist has invested the face of Sappho with some of her own features, what do you think the artist was trying
to accomplish with this act?
Benjamin West, American, 1738-1820, active in Rome and London, Agrippina and Her
Children Mourning over the Ashes of Germanicus, 1773
Germanicus was the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius Caesar. As a Roman
general, Germanicus won a number of victories in Germany and wished to continue with his
aggressive warfare. Tiberius disagreed and reassigned Germanicus to the East where he got
sick and died in Antioch. All of Rome suspected that Tiberius had had Germanicus poisoned.
Agrippina, Germanicus' wife returned to Rome with her three sons.
Agrippina subsequently plotted and planned for her son, Nero, to replace or succeed Tiberius as Emperor. She
and two of her sons were then banished from Rome and were shortly thereafter executed on Tiberius' orders.
Her third son, Gaius (identified in the painting as the smiling boy in the foreground) was to become the
notoriously cruel Emperor Caligula.
Giovanni Antonio Canal, called Canaletto, Italian, 1697-1768, active in Venice, The Riva
degli Schiavoni Towards theEast, Venice, c. 1750
This is a “veduta”, a view of a city intended to be sold to the European travellers of the time.
 Why would eighteen century tourists be interested in works like this?
 Note the palace to the left of the picture. Does it look like any building in the
Ringling state? Which one? Why? I which way was Ringling like the affluent
European travellers of the 1700? Look around!
Gallery 20: Art in Europe and North America, 1850-1940
See these twentieth century interpretations of Classical themes
William Ernest Reynolds-Stephens, Roman Courtship, c. 1900
In Greek mythology, Atropos was the oldest of the three fates responsible for determining a
person’s lifespan: after her sisters spun and measured the thread, she cut it, causing the
person to die. According to Hesiod’s Theogony, Atropos and her sisters were the daughters of
Nyx (Night). Notice her rather dark presence looming over the blissful young lovers and
their protector, Cupid.
 Why is Atropos presence so ominous?
Edward Burne-Jones, The Sirens, c. 1891-98
The painting represents a scene from Homer’s Odyssey, in which Odysseus
was warned by Circe of the powers of the Sirens, and their ability to lure men to
their deaths with their enchanting song.
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