Description
The Greek goddess Calypso held the hero Odysseus captive for seven years, preventing his return home from the Trojan War. Despite Calypso’s charms and the luxurious surroundings, Odysseus longed for his home and family, so the Olympian gods finally allowed his freedom. Here, the god Hermes swoops down to free Odysseus from Calypso’s embrace. De Lairesse, popularly known as the “Dutch Poussin,” introduced to the Netherlands a classicizing style influenced by artists of the French Academy.
Provenance
Thomas Wodehouse Legh, 2nd Baron Newton [1857-1942], Cheshire, upon his death, probably held in trust by the estate (Until 1946); (Sale, Sotheby’s London, July 17, 1946, lot 63, sold to Julius Singer)1 (1946); (Julius Singer, London, probably sold to a Rio de Janeiro private collector) (1946-); Private collection, Rio de Janeiro (Until 1991); (Christie’s, New York, sale, Oct. 9, 1991, lot 195, sold to Johnny van Haeften, Ltd.) (1991); (Johnny van Haeften, Ltd., London, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (1991-1992); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio (1992-)
Accession Number
1992.2
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
Framed: 118.5 x 140 x 9 cm (46 5/8 x 55 1/8 x 3 9/16 in.); Unframed: 91.4 x 113.7 cm (36 x 44 3/4 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund
Tags
Painting Baroque (1600–1750) Oil Painting Canvas Flemish
Background & Context
Background Story
Gerard de Lairesse (1641-1711) was a Dutch painter known for the elegantly composed, classically inspired historical paintings that make him one of the most accomplished painters of the Dutch Classical tradition. Hermes Ordering Calypso to Release Odysseus from c. 1670 depicts the scene from Homer's Odyssey in which Hermes orders Calypso to release Odysseus in the elegantly composed, classically inspired manner that distinguishes de Lairesse's best work from the more general historical painting of his contemporaries. De Lairesse was known as the 'Dutch Poussin' for his elegantly composed, classically inspired paintings, and his work represents one of the most accomplished traditions in Dutch Classical painting.
Cultural Impact
Hermes Ordering Calypso to Release Odysseus is important in the history of Dutch painting because it demonstrates the elegantly composed, classically inspired manner that de Lairesse—known as the 'Dutch Poussin'—brought to historical subjects as one of the most accomplished painters of the Dutch Classical tradition. De Lairesse's elegantly composed, classically inspired paintings—representing one of the most accomplished traditions in Dutch Classical painting—were enormously influential in the development of Dutch painting, and the c. 1670 painting shows this tradition at its most elegantly composed.
Why It Matters
Hermes Ordering Calypso to Release Odysseus is de Lairesse's elegantly composed Dutch Classical painting: the Homeric subject rendered in the classically inspired manner of the 'Dutch Poussin.' The c. 1670 painting shows the elegant composition and classical inspiration that make de Lairesse one of the most accomplished Dutch Classical painters.
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