Follower of Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio, 'Narcissus', probably about 1500

Narcissus

Follower of Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio

Not on display

About the work

Overview

In Greek mythology, Narcissus was an outstandingly beautiful young man who fell in love with his own reflection in a woodland pool, eventually pining away with unrequited passion. This tiny picture shows him dressed elegantly and with a wreath of leaves in his hair, gazing into a still basin of water. It is unusual for Narcissus to be shown in contemporary dress – he is more usually depicted as a classical hunter or a beautiful, naked youth.

This painting and another version of it (Uffizi, Florence) were done by an artist close to Boltraffio, one of Leonardo da Vinci’s most talented followers; both pictures recall Boltraffio’s drawings of the profiles of an idealised youth with flowing hair and a wreath. These perhaps hark back to an original by Leonardo, reflecting the poetic culture of the Milanese court during the 1490s.

In-depth

In Greek mythology, Narcissus was an outstandingly handsome young man who fell in love with his own reflection in a woodland pool, eventually pining away with unrequited passion. This tiny picture shows him dressed elegantly and with a wreath of leaves in his hair, gazing into a still basin of water. It’s unusual for Narcissus to be shown in contemporary dress – he is more usually depicted as a classical hunter, as in Mountain Landscape with Narcissus, or as a beautiful, naked youth.

Another version of this scene, with a slightly different landscape and without the raised pool, is in the Uffizi, Florence. In the past both have been attributed to Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio, one of Leonardo da Vinci’s most talented followers, though they are of lower quality than any of his works. Both seem to have been painted by the same artist, who followed Boltraffio’s ideas closely: they recall his drawings of the profiles of an idealised youth with flowing hair and a wreath (Département des Arts Graphiques, Musée du Louvre, Paris, and elsewhere). These poetic images, perhaps harking back to an original by Leonardo, are typical of the culture of the Milanese court during the 1490s.

This picture is painted on a walnut panel, which is complete at the top but has perhaps been cut along the other three edges. Technical analysis has shown that the position of the head was altered slightly during painting. A larger reserve was left for the back of the head; changes in the paint in the rocks above the collar, as well as some curved lines, suggest either that more hair was planned or that the collar was higher and the fur longer. The profile was also slightly modified, pivoting the angle of Narcissus' face to further lower his gaze.

Key facts

Details

Full title: Narcissus
Artist: Follower of Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio
Artist dates: about 1467 - 1516
Date made: probably about 1500
Medium and support: oil on wood
Dimensions: 23.2 × 26.5 cm
Acquisition credit: Salting Bequest, 1910
Inventory number: NG2673
Location: Not on display
Collection: Main Collection
Previous owners: George Salting

Provenance

Possibly in the Anon. (M. Littlehales) Sale of Italian Pictures lately consigned from Rome, 2 March, 1804 (lot 5), as Raphael, The Story of Narcissus, from the Borghese Gallery. Possibly Walsh Porter Sale, 14 April, 1810 (lot 1), as Bellini, from the Villa Aldobrandini, bought by Barnet. It was certainly exhibited at the R.A., 1870 (No. 113), lent by Lady Taunton. It had passed to Lord Taunton’s son-in-law, Sir Arthur Ellis, by 1895; by him lent to the Burlington Fine Arts Club, 1898 (No. 47a). Acquired by George Salting; exhibited at the Burlington Fine Arts Club, Winter, 1908 (No. 17); Salting Bequest, 1910.

Additional information

Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Martin Davies, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Earlier Italian Schools’, London 1986; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.

Exhibition history

2018

Ovidio, Amori, Miti e altre storie

Scuderie del Quirinale

16 October 2018 - 20 January 2019
2023

Masterpieces from the National Gallery

Shanghai Art Museum East

17 January 2023 - 7 May 2023

National Museum of Korea

2 June 2023 - 9 October 2023

Hong Kong Palace Museum

22 November 2023 - 11 April 2024

Chimei Museum

2 May 2024 - 1 September 2024

Bibliography

1898

G. Frizzoni, 'Exposition de maîtres de l'école lombarde à Londres', Gazette des beaux-arts, II, 1898
1898

W. Seidlitz, 'Die Mailänder Ausstellung im Burlington Club', Repertorium für Kunstwissenschaft, XXI, 1898, pp. 401-10
1898

A. Venturi, 'Corriere d'Inghilterra: Esposizione al "Burlington Fine Arts Club" di Londra', L'arte, I, 1898, pp. 315-8
1901

A. Venturi, Storia dell'arte italiana, 11 vols, Milan 1901
1907

B. Berenson, North Italian Painters of the Renaissance, New York 1907
1910

C. Phillips, 'The Salting Collection, II: The Italian Pictures', The Burlington Magazine, XVII/85, 1910, pp. 9-22
1913

F. Malaguzzi Valeri, La corte di Ludovico il Moro, 3 vols, Milan 1913
1916

F. Bock, 'Leonardofragen', Repertorium für Kunstwissenschaft, XXXIX, 1916, pp. 153-65, 218-30
1926

G. Teall, 'Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio', International Studio, LXXXV/353, 1926, pp. 21-5
1928

E. Möller, 'Salai und Leonardo da Vinci', Jahrbuch der Kunsthistorischen Sammlungen in Wien, 1928, pp. 139-62
1931

H. Bodmer, Leonardo, Stuttgart 1931
1932

A. Hevesy, 'Some Portraits of the Borgias: Lucrezia', The Burlington Magazine, LXI/352, 1932, pp. 25-31
1951

Davies, Martin, National Gallery Catalogues: The Earlier Italian Schools, London 1951
1959

R.R. Henry, Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio: A Stylistic Study of His Work, Phd Thesis, Boston University Graduate School 1959
1961

M. Davies, The Earlier Italian Schools, 2nd edn, London 1961
1964

P. Della Pergola, 'L'Inventario Borghese del 1693, I', Arte antica e moderna, XXVI, 1964, pp. 219-30
1967

T. Brachert, 'Ein unvollendetes Madonnengemälde von Leonardo da Vinci?', Jahresbericht. Schweizerisches Institut für Kunstwissenschaft, 1967, pp. 1-111
1983

National Gallery, 'Pictures Cleaned and Restored in the Conservation Department of the National Gallery, January 1983 – December 1983', National Gallery Technical Bulletin, VIII, 1984, pp. 71-2
1986

Davies, Martin, National Gallery Catalogues: The Earlier Italian Schools, revised edn, London 1986
1997

J.V. Field and F.A.J.L. James, Science in Art: Works in the National Gallery That Illustrate the History of Science and Technology, Stanford in the Vale 1997
1998

G.B. Bora et al., I Leonardeschi: L'eredità di Leonardo in Lombardia, Milan 1998
1999

G. Helke, 'Giorgione als Maler des Paragone', Jahrbuch des Kunsthistorischen Museums Wien, I, 1999, pp. 11-79
1999

C. Kruse, 'Selbsterkenntnis als Medienerkenntnis: Narziss an der Quelle bei Alberti und Caravaggio', Marburger Jahrbuch für Kunstwissenschaft, XXVI, 1999, pp. 99-116
2000

M.T. Fiorio, Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio. Un pittore milanese nel lume di Leonardo, Milan 2000
2000

C. Del Bravo, 'Rocce. Sul significato d'un motivo in Leonardo e nei leonardeschi', Artibus et historiae, XXI/42, 2000, pp. 31-9
2001

C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
2004

J. Sander, Italienische Gemälde im Städel 1300-1550. Oberitalien, Marken und Rom, Mainz 2004

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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Follower of Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio, 'Narcissus', probably about 1500

About the work

Overview

In-depth

Key facts

Details

Provenance

Additional information

Source

Exhibition history

Bibliography

About this record

Images

Related works