Aristaeus and Proteus
Statuette
ca. 1695-1700 (made)
ca. 1695-1700 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The subject of this group is taken from Virgil's Georgics. Aristaeus was a shepherd, son of Apollo and the nymph Cyrene, and he kept bees. He pursued the nymph Eurydice who was killed by a serpent which she disturbed when fleeing from him. In revenge, her companion Nymphs killed Aristaeus' bees. His mother advised him to ask Proteus, guardian of the sea-monsters, for advice as Proteus could foretell the future. But Proteus was elusive, frequently changing his appearance or disappearing, so he had to be tied down. It is this dramatic moment which is depicted here: Aristaeus is securing the struggling Proteus, who is accompanied by two seals. The dynamic pose of the bee-keeper is perhaps inspired by the figures of youths in the monumental ancient marble group of the Farnese Bull (Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples), that was coveted by the French king, Louis XIV.
This group originated in a commission to Sebastien Slodtz, first mentioned in 1688, for a large-scale marble group of this subject for a prominent location along the central axis of the garden at Versailles. Slodtz's master, the better-known sculptor François Girardon, worked out the design which survives in a pen and wash drawing by him. Girardon exhibited a bronze of this subject at the Salon of 1704, and it is shown as being on display in engravings of his studio. It is believed that the V&A bronze was the one in these records, owned by Girardon. The composition marked a shift in sculpture at Versailles from the series of standing allegorical figures, to groups where there was movement and often drama and narrative content. A plaster cast of the full-size model was set up in the garden in 1705 but the marble was not installed there until 1723.
Sébastien Slodtz was born in Antwerp, the son of Jacqueline de Lannoy and a master carpenter. He settled in Paris, where he entered the study of François, and through marriage became the son-in-law to king Louis XIV’s gold- and silversmith, Domenico Cucci, and brother-in-law to the sculptor François Chauveau (1613-1676). Slodtz worked on a number of commissions for Louis XIV, many of which survive in Paris and at Versailles. He lived at the Louvre from 1699 until his death, and three of his sons became sculptors.
This group originated in a commission to Sebastien Slodtz, first mentioned in 1688, for a large-scale marble group of this subject for a prominent location along the central axis of the garden at Versailles. Slodtz's master, the better-known sculptor François Girardon, worked out the design which survives in a pen and wash drawing by him. Girardon exhibited a bronze of this subject at the Salon of 1704, and it is shown as being on display in engravings of his studio. It is believed that the V&A bronze was the one in these records, owned by Girardon. The composition marked a shift in sculpture at Versailles from the series of standing allegorical figures, to groups where there was movement and often drama and narrative content. A plaster cast of the full-size model was set up in the garden in 1705 but the marble was not installed there until 1723.
Sébastien Slodtz was born in Antwerp, the son of Jacqueline de Lannoy and a master carpenter. He settled in Paris, where he entered the study of François, and through marriage became the son-in-law to king Louis XIV’s gold- and silversmith, Domenico Cucci, and brother-in-law to the sculptor François Chauveau (1613-1676). Slodtz worked on a number of commissions for Louis XIV, many of which survive in Paris and at Versailles. He lived at the Louvre from 1699 until his death, and three of his sons became sculptors.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Aristaeus and Proteus (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Bronze |
| Brief description | Group, bronze, of Aristaeus and Proteus, by Sébastien Slodtz, after a drawing by François Girardon, French, ca. 1695-1700 |
| Physical description | The bronze shows the figure of the shepherd and bee-keeper Aristaeus in the process of tying the sea-god Proteus to a rock. Aristaeus, loosely clad in flowing drapery with a strap across his right shoulder, reaches across the prone, naked figure of Proteus, grasping the rope that ties him. Proteus is fettered by his right wrist and left upper arm, a cloth draped over his left leg. He is accompanied by two open-mouthed seals, one crouching beneath his outstretched left leg and the other at his left side, gazing up towards him. The group is supported on a rocky base, with fleshy foliage typical of French bronzes of this period, and a curved rod. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | ARISTAEUS FETTERING PROTEUS
French (Paris); probably 1695
Bronze
By Sebastien Slodtz (1655-1726), after a model by Francois Girardon (1628-1715)
Being displeased with Aristaeus, the gods destroyed his bees. Thereupon, he sought the advice of Proteus, guardian of the sea monsters, who had received the full gift of prophesy from Neptune. But as Proteus often eluded enquirers by assuming different shapes or by vanishing, it was necessary to tie him down, as represented here. The design originated in a wax model by Girardon for a marble group in the park at Versailles. The execution of this group was entrusted to Sebastien Slodtz and was completed in 1714. But as early as 1695, the royal accounts show that a bronze version had been cast from models by Slodtz. This group exemplifies the final phase of the sculpture at Versailles, which was begun in about 1687 with the commissioning of figures in action, rather than in repose, and of narrative groups. Although they are executed by sculptors, it was Girardon who provided the inspiration for this new development.
(1993 - 2011) |
| Object history | This bronze was made by Sébastien Slodtz (1655-1726) in about 1695-1700, and is a reduced version of the colossal marble group commissioned from Slodtz for the park at Versailles, first mentioned in 1688, and based on a design by his master, François Girardon (1628-1715). The commission for the marble was originally granted to Corneille Van Clève (1645-1732), who blotted his copybook by insisting on the use of a workshop in the Louvre to prepare the model. This so displeased the marquis de Louvois, the superintendent of the king’s buildings, that the commission was transferred to Slodtz. A group of Proteus in bronze is recorded in Girardon’s posthumous inventory, while in that of Slodtz there appears ‘a plaster model of the group of Proteus and Aristaeus … in the proportion of two-and-a-half feet’ and ‘a model of Proteus and Aristaeus in wax on a core of plaster’ (Souchal 1967, p.713). The reference to a plaster-filled wax suggests that further bronze casts were envisaged (Marsden, 2008-9, p.271). According to payment records, the founder Drouart was paid to cast a group of this subject, and Slodtz also received payments between 1696-8 for a reduction ‘which he is making in bronze’ (Souchal1967, p.588; Marsden 2008-9, p.270). No other casts of this group are known, which has convincingly led to the suggestion that this bronze is the same as that variously documented as owned by Girardon and exhibited by him at the Salon of 1704 (formerly assumed by Souchal to be different casts). It was subsequently owned by William Williams Hope (1802-1855), an Anglo-Dutch collector and heir to a banking fortune, who lived in the Rue Dominque in the Fabourg Saint-Germain. The bronze was bought by the Museum from J.L.S. Violante for £2000 in 1963. |
| Production | After a drawing by François Girardon (1628-1715) |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Literary reference | Virgil <font -u>Georgics</font> |
| Summary | The subject of this group is taken from Virgil's Georgics. Aristaeus was a shepherd, son of Apollo and the nymph Cyrene, and he kept bees. He pursued the nymph Eurydice who was killed by a serpent which she disturbed when fleeing from him. In revenge, her companion Nymphs killed Aristaeus' bees. His mother advised him to ask Proteus, guardian of the sea-monsters, for advice as Proteus could foretell the future. But Proteus was elusive, frequently changing his appearance or disappearing, so he had to be tied down. It is this dramatic moment which is depicted here: Aristaeus is securing the struggling Proteus, who is accompanied by two seals. The dynamic pose of the bee-keeper is perhaps inspired by the figures of youths in the monumental ancient marble group of the Farnese Bull (Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples), that was coveted by the French king, Louis XIV. This group originated in a commission to Sebastien Slodtz, first mentioned in 1688, for a large-scale marble group of this subject for a prominent location along the central axis of the garden at Versailles. Slodtz's master, the better-known sculptor François Girardon, worked out the design which survives in a pen and wash drawing by him. Girardon exhibited a bronze of this subject at the Salon of 1704, and it is shown as being on display in engravings of his studio. It is believed that the V&A bronze was the one in these records, owned by Girardon. The composition marked a shift in sculpture at Versailles from the series of standing allegorical figures, to groups where there was movement and often drama and narrative content. A plaster cast of the full-size model was set up in the garden in 1705 but the marble was not installed there until 1723. Sébastien Slodtz was born in Antwerp, the son of Jacqueline de Lannoy and a master carpenter. He settled in Paris, where he entered the study of François, and through marriage became the son-in-law to king Louis XIV’s gold- and silversmith, Domenico Cucci, and brother-in-law to the sculptor François Chauveau (1613-1676). Slodtz worked on a number of commissions for Louis XIV, many of which survive in Paris and at Versailles. He lived at the Louvre from 1699 until his death, and three of his sons became sculptors. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.6-1963 |
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| Record created | November 27, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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