The Abduction of Helen
circa 1695Oil on canvas
Within the context of the extraordinary patronage of the La Marck Foundation, the museum has, since 2015, been able to acquire a number of Old Master paintings, among which Antonio Molinari’s Abduction of Helen holds a place of choice.
Born in 1655, Molinari was an apprentice to Antonio Zanchi in Venice. Strongly influenced by Neapolitan painters such as Giordano, his works gradually adopt Baroque element as well as an accentuation of the effects of light. Despite the dynamic elegance of Molinari’s figures and the lightening of his palette, he is the painter who, at the turn of the 18th century, remains most faithful to the naturalism brought to Venice by the Tenebrists.
The artist has chosen the traditional Baroque iconography of the subject, showing Paris on his boat ready to flee towards Troy together with the wife of Menelaus. Looking at the sky in despair, Helen tries to free herself from the grip of her abductor while her right hand grabs his red cape.
The work is one of several narrative romantic scenes taken from Roman history or from Old or New Testaments in which Molinari best exhibits his talent and figurative vocabulary. His scenes distinguish themselves through their narrative freedom and somewhat melodramatic tone, combined with solidly constructed figurative elements that retain a certain elegance. The figure of Helen is clearly reminiscent of works of the painter’s later period such as Sophonisba Receiving the Poisoned Chalice at the Fondazione Sorlini in Carzago della Riviera or Cleopatra Dissolving Her Pearl Earring at the Zanutto collection in Venice.
Hitherto unpublished, our painting is characterized by its outstanding frame, its dense composition resulting from the entanglement of the bodies as well as its bright colours and contrasts of light. A second slightly larger version is kept at the Northampton Art Gallery. Its composition is less dense and the position of the attackers is reversed. Besides, Antonio Molinar frequently reused his own compositions with small variants and in two different formats, one rectangular and the other square.
Text | CC BY-NC | Michel Polfer
Object: The Abduction of Helen
- Artist | Manufacturer:
- Christian Dietrich (1712-1774), attributed to
- Title:
- Head of an Old Man
- Date:
- 17XX | 18th century
- Inventory Number:
- 1938-B/005
- Collection:
- Old Masters
- Domain:
- Painting
- Iconography:
- Portrait
- Material | Technique:
- Oil on wood
- Measurements:
- H x L : 12.5 x 9.5 cm
- Copyright:
-
Work: Public Domain
Image(s): CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0)
Metadata: CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0)
- Photographer:
- Tom Lucas
Within the context of the extraordinary patronage of the La Marck Foundation, the museum has, since 2015, been able to acquire a number of Old Master paintings, among which Antonio Molinari’s Abduction of Helen holds a place of choice.
Born in 1655, Molinari was an apprentice to Antonio Zanchi in Venice. Strongly influenced by Neapolitan painters such as Giordano, his works gradually adopt Baroque element as well as an accentuation of the effects of light. Despite the dynamic elegance of Molinari’s figures and the lightening of his palette, he is the painter who, at the turn of the 18th century, remains most faithful to the naturalism brought to Venice by the Tenebrists.
The artist has chosen the traditional Baroque iconography of the subject, showing Paris on his boat ready to flee towards Troy together with the wife of Menelaus. Looking at the sky in despair, Helen tries to free herself from the grip of her abductor while her right hand grabs his red cape.
The work is one of several narrative romantic scenes taken from Roman history or from Old or New Testaments in which Molinari best exhibits his talent and figurative vocabulary. His scenes distinguish themselves through their narrative freedom and somewhat melodramatic tone, combined with solidly constructed figurative elements that retain a certain elegance. The figure of Helen is clearly reminiscent of works of the painter’s later period such as Sophonisba Receiving the Poisoned Chalice at the Fondazione Sorlini in Carzago della Riviera or Cleopatra Dissolving Her Pearl Earring at the Zanutto collection in Venice.
Hitherto unpublished, our painting is characterized by its outstanding frame, its dense composition resulting from the entanglement of the bodies as well as its bright colours and contrasts of light. A second slightly larger version is kept at the Northampton Art Gallery. Its composition is less dense and the position of the attackers is reversed. Besides, Antonio Molinar frequently reused his own compositions with small variants and in two different formats, one rectangular and the other square.
Text | CC BY-NC | Michel Polfer
Object: The Abduction of Helen
- Artist | Manufacturer:
- Christian Dietrich (1712-1774), attributed to
- Title:
- Head of an Old Man
- Date:
- 17XX | 18th century
- Inventory Number:
- 1938-B/005
- Collection:
- Old Masters
- Domain:
- Painting
- Iconography:
- Portrait
- Material | Technique:
- Oil on wood
- Measurements:
- H x L : 12.5 x 9.5 cm
- Copyright:
-
Work: Public Domain
Image(s): CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0)
Metadata: CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0)
- Photographer:
- Tom Lucas
