Winter: Juno and Aeolus
Eugène DELACROIX
(French, 1798-1863)
Winter: Juno and Aeolus
Date1856
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensionsoverall: 24 × 19 1/2 in. (61 × 49.5 cm)
frame: 32 × 28 1/2 × 4 1/2 in. (81.3 × 72.4 × 11.4 cm)
crate: 53 × 48 × 25 in. (134.6 × 121.9 × 63.5 cm)
ClassificationPAINTINGS
Credit LineSBMA, Museum Purchase, Ludington Antiquities Fund and Ludington Deaccessioning Fund
Object number2013.41
Subject(s)
- winter
- mythology
- men
- women
- ocean
- ocean
Collection
- 19th century French
- European
Sub-Collection(s)
- French
On View
On viewCollections
Label TextThis oil sketch was done as a preparatory step for one of four decorative panels commissioned for a private home, organized around the theme of the four seasons. Echoing earlier Rococo masters, Delacroix summons the idea of winter through the mythological story of the Roman goddess Juno, who is shown commanding the god of the winds, Aeolus, to unleash violent storms intended to destroy the Trojan warrior Aeneas and his ships. Delacroix was in the habit of relying upon studio assistants to accomplish large scale interior decorations for public buildings, such as the Chambre des Députés of the Senate in Paris. Sketches like this by the master would have served the assistant as the model by which to execute the corresponding large-scale version. This oil sketch exhibits a painterly freedom typical of Delacroix’s late work, which anticipates the lack of finish characteristic of the Impressionists. Form is suggested rather than fully defined, as in the swirl of teal green pigment emanating from Juno’s cloud that fittingly conjures the shape of her attribute, the peacock.
