Sujet

Minerva bringing Pegasus to Bellerophon, before 1866. Creator: John Gibson.

Légende

Minerva bringing Pegasus to Bellerophon, before 1866. Plaster relief depicting a scene from Homer's Iliad: Minerva presenting the flying horse Pegasus, with its golden bridal, to Bellerophon. Her gift was intended to help the young Corinthian hero fight the Chimera, a fire-breathing monster. According to Gibson, images of Bellerophon's adventures often featured on ancient vases, but were rarely depicted in modern times. He was drawn to the subject as it gave him the opportunity to display 'three of the most beautiful objects in nature... the man, female & the horse.' It also allowed him to show his dexterity in presenting contrasting character types through the 'robust and active' hero and the 'dignified draped' Minerva. Bellerophon leading Pegasus to water is the subject of a relief dating to the 2nd century AD/CE in the Palazzo Spada, Rome, which Gibson may have known.

Date

1830

Crédit

Photo12/Heritage Images/Royal Academy of Arts, London/Paul Highnam

Notre référence

HRM26A35_229

Model release

NA

Property release

NA

Licence

Droits gérés

Format disponible

45.7Mo (6.6Mo) / 42.0cm x 27.3cm / 4960 x 3221 (300dpi)

Mots clés

animal female women woman people male man men animals horses horse religious arts religion shape naked nude sculpture art guy wings British color Neo-classical relief armour war Victorian century helmet Britain kitsch plaque concept minerva mythology roman mythology cast mould mythological winged horse Pegasus nudity goddess warfare nakedness mold Plaster Cast Colour drapery 19th century mythical creature bas relief bas-relief Neoclassical Neoclassicism Greek mythology nineteenth century Neo-Classicism artistic movement Bellerophon mythical beast sculpture plaster mythical creatures mythical beasts mythological creature 19th-century Royal Academy of Arts John Gibson Gibson John John Gibson RA