Circle of Nicolas Poussin (French 1594-1665).

Artist: Circle of Nicolas Poussin (French 1594-1665).
Title: The River God, Ladon.
Medium: Oil on canvas.
Framed Size: Height 50.5 cm x Width 44.5 cm x Depth 3.5 cm.
Image Size: Height 26 cm x Width 21 cm.
Condition: The work is in very good condition, having been recently cleaned and re-varnished, no evidence of retouching was found. Previous relining to the canvas has been undertaken in the 19th century or earlier. The work appears to of been relined and then at a later date the composition was cut from a larger image. This was most likely due to damage to the original composition rather than to aesthetics. Housed in an early 19th-century black ebonised frame with a gold slip and backing. It is glazed with anti-reflective invisible glass ArtGlass AR70.
Provenance: From the estate of a private London collector. Inventory numbers verso in chalk indicate the item has likely come to market previously.

About: A man of extraordinary learning and intellectual sophistication in his own right, Poussin played a significant role in the choice of subject for many of his private commissions. Some are themes of his own invention or subjects that no previous artist chose to depict; frequently his paintings carry a moral or philosophical message or draw attention to man’s precarious position in the universe. They are inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses as with this painting but he was also inspired by ancient history, certain stories from the Old Testament, and later in his career the Seven Sacraments.

This painting is indicative of the work of Nicolas Poussin and is offered for sale with attribution of Circle of Poussin, meaning either he himself, an artist within his time working closely or being heavily influenced by him. This is an attribution that Wright Gallery Fine Art is currently in the process of actively seeking to upgrade.