Memorial to James, First Earl of Stanhope
Artist
Giovanni Battista Pittoni
(Italian, 1687-1767)
CultureItalian
Date1726
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsOverall: 87 x 56 in. (221 x 142.2 cm)
Overall, Frame: 112 x 73 1/4 in. (284.5 x 186.1 cm)
Overall, Frame: 112 x 73 1/4 in. (284.5 x 186.1 cm)
InscribedSigned right of center: GIO.BATA.PITTONI.FIGVRAVIT.
Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number71.546
On View
Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 207
Label TextGiovanni Battista Pittoni Italian, 1687–1767 Memorial to James, First Earl Stanhope, 1726 Oil on canvas Think of this triumphal arch as a gigantic military uniform, its jacket trimmed with medals extolling the exploits and virtues of its hero. The hero is James, First Earl Stanhope, who served England both as the army’s commander-in-chief and as secretary of state. The figures—both sculptural and living—symbolize aspects of Stanhope’s character. For example, the sculptures crowning the columns embody the hero’s “Virtuous Actions” (at left) and “Honor” (at right), while the seated female figure at its base embodies his life of “Victory.” Such complex symbolic images, called allegories, were a staple of art in the 1700s. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.546 ProvenanceLord March, Second Duke of Richmond, Goodwood, by 1727; Private collection, Germany; P. Reichenbach, Paris, 1955; Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., 1972. Exhibition History"Paintings from the Collection of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.," Portland Art Museum, Oregon; Seattle Art Museum; California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Minneapolis Art Institute; St. Louis City Art Museum; William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art, Kansas City; Detroit Institute of Arts; and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, March 2, 1956 - April 14, 1957. (Exhib. cat. no. 48). "Venetian Paintings of the Eighteenth Century," Finch College Museum of Art, New York City, 1961. (Exhib. cat. no. 35). "Italian Renaissance and Baroque Paintings from the Collection of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.," Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences, Dec. 2, 1967 - May 15, 1968. (Exhib. cat. no. 61). "Painting in Italy in the Eighteenth Century," The Art Institute of Chicago, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and the Toledo Museum of Art, 1970. (Exhib. cat. no. 35). "Veronese to Franz Kline: Masterworks from the Chrysler Museum at Norfolk," for the benefit of The Chrysler Museum Art Reference Library, Wildenstein & Co., New York, N. Y., April 13 - May 13, 1978. Published ReferencesBertina S. Manning. _Paintings from the Collection of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.: An Exhibition Organized by the Portland Art Museum, Oregon_. Portland: Portland Art Association. 1956. No. 48. Robert L. Manning. _Italian Renaissance and Baroque Paintings from the Collection of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr._. Norfolk: Norfolk Museum of Arts and Science. 1967. No. 61. Eric M. Zafran and Mario Amaya. _Veronese to Franz Kline: Masterworks from the Chrysler Museum at Norfolk_, exhibition catalogue, Wildenstein and Co., New York, 1978. Franca Zava Boccazzi. _Pittoni_. Venice, 1979, 147, no. 131. Jefferson C. Harrison. _The Chrysler Museum Handbook of the European and American Collections: Selected Paintings, Sculpture and Drawings_. The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA, 1991, 66-67, #50. Jeff Harrison, _Collecting with Vision: Treasures From the Chrysler Museum of Art_ (London: D. Giles Ltd., 2007),34, fig. 27. ISBN: 978-0-940744-72-1 T.D. Llewellyn, _Owen McSwiny's Letters, 1720-1744_, (Venice: Fondazione Giorgio Cini, 2009), 124, fig.57.
Giovanni Paolo Panini
1745
