Studio of Claude, 'Landscape with the Death of Procris', about 1647

Landscape with the Death of Procris

Studio of Claude

Not on display

About the work

Overview

Taken from an episode in Ovid’s Metamorphosis, this painting shows the moment when Cephalus is horrified to find his wife Procris impaled and slumped against a tree, after he has accidentally killed her with his spear. He thought she was a wild animal – the deer fleeing over the horizon was his intended prey.

Earlier in the story, Procris suspects Cephalus of infidelity and follows him to a forest and hides when she hears him approach. She had previously given him the spear and a magic dog that were a gift to her from Diana, goddess of the hunt. The withered tree covered in ivy – an emblem of love and fidelity – and shadowy landscape add to the sombre tone.

The paint surface is very discoloured with extensive repainted areas, particularly in the figures. This composition is probably a copy of an original work by Claude painted around 1646.

In-depth

This painting depicts an episode from Ovid’s Metamorphosis (book 7: 835–862), a Latin poem of well-known stories and characters from Greek mythology. Cephalus is horrified to find his wife, Procris impaled and slumped against a tree, after he has accidentally killed her with his spear. He thought she was a wild animal – the deer fleeing over the horizon was his intended prey.

Earlier in the story, Procris suspects Cephalus of infidelity and follows him to a forest and hides when she hears him approach. She has previously given him the spear and a magic dog that were a gift to her from Diana, goddess of the hunt.

The discoloured and worn paint surface, and extensive repainted areas that include most of the figure of Cephalus and part of Procris, makes it difficult for us to appreciate the painting’s original appearance. It was probably painted by an assistant in Claude’s studio: the lack of perspective and detail in the landscape as well as the clumsy figures – Cephalus stands in a stiff pose and has an oversized hand – suggest the artist was perfecting his skills. This composition is probably a copy of an original work by Claude painted in around 1646, although its location is unknown.

This scene has been painted over an earlier painting of a large female figure which is faintly visible. To the right of Procris and Cephalus there are several diagonal lines which are the outline of her legs. The canvas originally formed part of a larger painting, which was cut down and re-used to paint the scene we see here.

Key facts

Details

Full title: Landscape with the Death of Procris
Artist: Studio of Claude
Artist dates: 1604/5? - 1682
Date made: about 1647
Medium and support: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 38 × 48.6 cm
Acquisition credit: Presented by Sir George Beaumont, 1826
Inventory number: NG55
Location: Not on display
Collection: Main Collection
Previous owners: Sir George Beaumont

Provenance

Possibly purchased by comte de Hoym (d. 1736), Saxon ambassador in Paris, at the sale of Jacques-Louis de Beringhen, marquis de Châteauneuf (d. 1723), Paris, 24 July 1724; in the collection of Sir George Beaumont perhaps by 1790; probably moved by Beaumont to Coleorton Hall, Leics., in 1808 and certainly there by 1823 when copied by John Constable; transferred to the National Gallery by Beaumont in 1826 as part of the Beaumont Gift 1826.

Additional information

Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Humphrey Wine, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Seventeenth Century French Paintings’, London 2001; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.

Bibliography

1830

J. Smith, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch, Flemish, and French Painters: In Which is Included a Short Biographical Notice of the Artists, with a Copious Description of Their Principal Pictures […], vol. 2, London 1830
1884

Mme Pattison, Claude Lorrain, sa vie et ses oeuvres, Paris 1884
1946

Martin Davies, National Gallery Catalogues: French School, London 1946
1954

I. Lavin, 'Cephalus and Procris: Transformations of an Ovidian Myth', Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, XVII/3-4, 1954, pp. 260-87
1957

Martin Davies, National Gallery Catalogues: French School, 2nd edn (revised), London 1957
1961

M. Röthlisberger, Claude Lorrain: The Paintings, London 1961
1975

M. Röthlisberger, L'opera completa di Claude Lorrain, Milan 1975
1978

M. Kitson, Claude Lorrain: Liber Veritatis, London 1978
2001

Wine, Humphrey, National Gallery Catalogues: The Seventeenth Century French Paintings, London 2001
2001

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

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.

Images

Related works

(Showing 6 of 12 works)

A Seaport

Claude

This warm, tranquil port scene is bathed in sunlight: the clock on the building to the left records the time as five o'clock. A coat of arms with three golden fleurs-de-lis (emblem of the French king) above the clock and on the ship’s flags to the right suggests this painting was intended for a F...

Room 29

A View in Rome

Claude

This painting combines a view of Rome, on the left, with an imaginary ruin, on the right. The distant view is of the sixteenth-century church of Santa Trinità de' Monti, where Claude would be buried. Beside this is the convent of the Sacro Cuore. These buildings are now at the top of the Spanish...

Room 39

Landscape with a Goatherd and Goats

Claude

This small painting beautifully evokes the lushness of the natural world. A young man rests against the base of a tree and turns his head towards us. He holds one hand to his mouth as if playing a flute just out of view, a pose derived from images of the classical hero Orpheus charming the animal...

Room 29

Landscape with Aeneas at Delos

Claude

Aeneas, prince of Troy, dressed here in an orange cloak, left his native city and arrived with his father, son, and companions on the island of Delos, home of the sun god Apollo. Anius, the King of Delos, dressed in white, gestures to an olive and palm in the centre of the painting, two trees sac...

Not on display

Landscape with Cephalus and Procris reunited by Diana

Claude

Diana, goddess of hunting, stands between the huntsman Cephalus and his wife Procris. Procris gives her husband a spear, carried here by an attendant, and a magic dog. The painting is loosely based on a story in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The title suggests that the pair are being reunited after a fal...

Not on display

Landscape with David at the Cave of Adullam

Claude

King David and his companions emerge from the cave of Adullam. They cannot enter the city of Bethlehem and the valley below as the Philistines, whose pitched tents are just visible in the bottom left corner, occupy both. Nevertheless, three of the King’s soldiers have bravely ventured out to fulf...

Not on display

Landscape with Hagar and the Angel

Claude

Claude illustrates the Old Testament story of Hagar, setting it in a tranquil landscape bathed in hazy sunlight. Hagar is an Egyptian servant girl who gives birth to Abraham’s child and runs away after quarrelling with Abraham’s childless wife, Sarah. Claude captures Hagar’s suffering and despair...

Room 29

Landscape with Narcissus and Echo

Claude

Claude takes the subject of this painting from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The nymph Echo is in love with the beautiful youth Narcissus, who rejects her. In Claude’s painting, the goddess Nemesis punishes Narcissus by making him fall in love with his own reflection in a pool of water.The castle in the...

Not on display

Seaport with the Embarkation of Saint Ursula

Claude

According to the legend, Saint Ursula, a Christian princess from Britain or Brittany, made a holy pilgrimage to Rome with 11,000 virgins. Dressed in yellow and holding a flag with a red cross, Ursula watches her companions embark on their return voyage. They carry bows and arrows, weapons that re...

Room 29

Seaport with the Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba

Claude

This painting depicts an episode from the Old Testament: the Queen of Sheba embarking on her journey to see King Solomon in Jerusalem. Crowned and dressed in red, the Queen descends the steps. The meeting was often painted, but it was unusual to depict the Queen’s embarkation. The soft warm light...

Room 36

The Enchanted Castle

Claude

Threatened with marriage to a monster Psyche, a mortal, is blown away by the West Wind. She awakens near a magical palace and falls in love with Cupid. He makes Psyche promise not to look at his divine face, but she breaks this promise and Cupid abandons her. The subject of this painting is taken...

Room 29

The Mill

Claude

According to an inscription on a tree stump in the centre, this painting shows the marriage of Isaac and Rebecca described in the Old Testament book of Genesis. The couple dance with tambourines, surrounded by other figures reclining and enjoying the festivities. The flat landscape and expanse of...

Room 36

You've viewed 6 of 12 works

Studio of Claude, 'Landscape with the Death of Procris', about 1647

About the work

Overview

In-depth

Key facts

Details

Provenance

Additional information

Source

Bibliography

About this record

Images

Related works