3 Olympian deities in classical Greek and Roman religion, with details

Friedrich Stahl (German, 1863-1940) Portrait of Diana Silvarum
Friedrich Stahl (German, 1863-1940)
Portrait of Diana Silvarum, c. 1920
Oil on panel 
35.5 x 27cm (14 x 10 5/8in)
Private collection

Diana Silvarum. Stahl portrays his sitter as Diana, the hunter Goddess with her decorated quiver subtly slung over her shoulder. The inscription in stylised Latin lettering roughly translated as 'Diana of the forest is devoted and chaste', gives a sense of this not being a straight forward commissioned portrait, but something much more intimate and important. Stahl was pulled in two directions in his career; the pull of society pictures depicting bourgeois subjects with Impressionist influenced brushwork working against his more radical tendency as embodied by this portrait. 

Friedrich Stahl,  (German, 1863-1940), studied at the Munich Academy in 1878. At the age of 21 he moved into his own studio in Berlin where he was active from 1886 until 1898. He co-founded the 'Vereinigung der XI' which had its first exhibition in 1892 at the Galerie Schulte in Berlin. He was later appointed as a member of the Society of German Watercolour Painters and for a period was active in the Munich Secession.

Stahl travelled to England in 1899 in order to further his interest and study of the Pre-Raphaelites that were the foundation of the English brotherhood, the template for much of his own work for the remainder of his career.

The artist subsequently moved to Florence in 1904, where he remained until 1913 studying the works of the early Italian Renaissance. The present lot is a direct result of this influence. 

After a brief time in Munich in 1914 Stahl moved to Feldafing for 12 years where it is likely the present lot was painted. He then returned to Rome in 1925, eventually dying there in 1940 after receiving the Goethe medal under the direction of Martin Bormann. More 

Jan Brueghel the Younger Hendrick van Balen Antwerp 1601 - 1678 Antwerp 1575 - 1632 VENUS, CERES AND BACCHUS brushed on the reverse: no 1067 and charged on the reverse with the arms of the Violieren Chamber of Rhetoricans in Antwerp oil on oak panel 52.5 by 86.4 cm.; 20 5/8  by 34 in.
Jan Brueghel the Younger Hendrick van Balen Antwerp 1601 - 1678 Antwerp 1575 - 1632
VENUS, CERES AND BACCHUS
Ooil on oak panel
52.5 by 86.4 cm.; 20 5/8  by 34 in.
Private collection

This Painting This is amongst Jan Brueghel the Younger and Hendrick van Balen’s most successful collaborations. It is an optimistic scene, with Venus, Bacchus and Ceres enjoying the plentiful bounty of a summer’s harvest that continues apace in the fields beyond. The subject provided the perfect marriage of Van Balen’s idealised and highly polished figures with the intricate handling of Brueghel’s brush for the landscape and still life elements. More

Jan Brueghel the Younger; (13 September 1601 – 1 September 1678) was a Flemish Baroque painter, and the son of Jan Brueghel the Elder. He was born and died in the 17th century in Antwerp. He was trained by his father and spent his career producing works in a similar style. Along with his brother Ambrosius, he produced landscapes, allegorical scenes and other works of meticulous detail. Brueghel also copied works by his father and sold them with his father's signature. His work is distinguishable from that of his parent by being less well executed and lighter.

Jan the Younger was traveling in Italy when his father died of cholera, and swiftly returned to take control of the Antwerp studio. After the death of his father he changed his signature from 'Brueghel' to 'Breughel'. He soon established himself and was made dean of the Guild of Saint Luke in 1630. That same year he was commissioned by the French court to paint Adam Cycle. In the following years, he also produced paintings for the Austrian court, and worked independently in Paris, before returning to Antwerp in 1657. More

Hendrick van Balen or Hendrick van Balen I (1574 or 1575 in Antwerp – 17 July 1632 in Antwerp) was a Flemish Baroque painter and stained glass designer. He played an important role in the renewal of Flemish painting in the early 17th century. He became a member of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke in 1592-1593 at the age of 17. In 1608-1609 he was the second dean of the Guild and in 1609-1610 he was the first dean.

From about 1595 to 1602 he studied art while traveling in Italy. On his return to Antwerp, he became a member of the Guild of Romanists. It was a condition of membership that the member had visited Rome. In the year 1613 the Guild chose him as its dean.

Van Balen led for over 30 years a successful workshop and had many pupils. He was the teacher of his son Jan van Balen, Anthony van Dyck and Frans Snyders. He was also a contemporary of many of the other famous Flemish artists, such as the Brueghels, Jan and Pieter. More

Benedetto Gennari CENTO 1633 - 1715 BOLOGNA DIANA AND ENDYMION oil on canvas 177 by 224.5 cm.;  69 3/4  by 88 1/2  in.
Benedetto Gennari - CENTO 1633 - 1715 BOLOGNA
DIANA AND ENDYMION
Oil on canvas
177 by 224.5 cm.;  69 3/4  by 88 1/2  in.
Private collection

In Greek mythology, the moon goddess, Selene, drives her moon chariot across the heavens, although she was also regarded as the personification of the moon itself. Selene is best known for her affair with the beautiful mortal Endymion, the young shepherd who used to sleep on a mountain, and with whom she had fifty daughters. The late 7th-century – early 6th-century BC poet Sappho had apparently already mentioned Selene and Endymion's history. In Roman mythology, Diana has the attributes of Selene and she was mentioned as the goddess who falls in love with Endymion. Both goddesses were regarded as lunar goddesses, except for the fact that in Roman mythology, Diana became a virgin goddess. More

Benedetto Gennari II (October 19, 1633 – December 9, 1715) was an Italian painter active during the Baroque period. He trained at the workshop of the celebrated master, Guercino, hence his style was always very close to that of his teacher. Upon Guercino's death, Gennari inherited his studio which he ran with his brother Cesare.

With a restless spirit, Gennari traveled to Paris in March 1672 to work for the court of King Louis XIV. The French nobility received him with open arms, and the multitude of commissions encouraged him to prolong his stay. In September 1674, he moved to London where he became court painter to King Charles II of England and his successor James II. He painted allegorical and mythological scenes, and above all portraits. Catherine of Braganza and Mary of Modena, Catholic wives of Protestant kings, commissioned artworks for their private worship.

Gennari had to leave England when King James was dethroned; he followed James's court to Saint-Germain-en-Laye in 1689. By 1692, he was back in Bologna.

Gennari was an outstanding portraitist who eventually developed a style far removed from the principles taught in the school of Guercino. In the mature phase of his style, he came to acquire characteristics of the art of northern Europe, which he learned through his travels. In 1709, he was one of the founding members of the Accademia Clementina. More




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16 Christian-themed Mughal miniatures from the courts of Akbar and Jehangir

A wide variety of Christian images and iconography entered the Mughal artistic milieu during the second half of the sixteenth century through European prints and illustrated Bibles brought to India by Jesuit missionaries and other European travellers.

Mughal Emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605) holds a religious assembly in the Ibadat Khana (House of Worship) in Fatehpur Sikri, ca. 1605
The two men dressed in black are the Jesuit missionaries Rodolfo Acquaviva and Francisco Henriques
illustration to the Akbarnama

In his eagerness to learn about different religions, Akbar built hall of prayer at Fatehpur sikri in 1575 known as the Ibadat Khana. At this place, he invited selected mystics, intellectuals and theologians, and held discussions on religious and spiritual themes. He invited scholars belonging to various religions such as Hinduism, Islam , Zoroastrianism , Christianity and even atheists. He conducted religious debates with these people. They visited Ibadat Khana and discussed their religious belief with Akbar. The result of these discussions at the Hall of Prayer led them to the conclusion that all religions lead to the same goal. More on the Ibadat Khana

Rodolfo Acquaviva (2 October 1550 – 25 July 1583) was an Italian Jesuit missionary and priest in India who served the court of Akbar the Great from 1580 to 1583. He was killed in 1583 and beatified in 1893. More on Rodolfo Acquaviva

Henrique Henriques (1520–1600) was a Portuguese Jesuit priest and missionary who spent most of his life in missionary activities in South India. After his initial years in Goa he moved to Tamil Nadu where he mastered Tamil and wrote several books including a dictionary. He is considered to be the first European Tamil scholar.

He strongly believed that books of religious doctrines should be in local languages and to this end he wrote books in Tamil. His efforts made Tamil the first non-European language to be printed in moveable type. Hence he is sometimes called The Father of the Tamil Press. After his death his mortal remains were buried in Our Lady of Snows Basilica in Tuticorin, India. More on Henrique Henriques

Attributable to Basawan, Mughal
The Virgin Mary holding a book, circa 1585-90
Brush and ink heightened with gouache and gold on paper, laid down on stout paper
drawing: 5.9 by 4.1cm., leaf: 11.9 by 9.3cm.
Private collection

Depictions of the Madonna reading a book, usually with the Christ Child on her lap, abound in European art of the sixteenth century, but in addition to these mention should be made of the numerous series of The Liberal Arts produced by European engravers in the sixteenth century, many of which featured female figures holding books, as well as the Puritas Regia frontispiece in Plantin's Royal Bible (the Polyglot Bible), which also shows a female figure holding a book. It was a copy of this edition of the Bible that the Jesuits presented to Emperor Akbar. More on this work

Basāwan, or Basāvan (flourished 1580–1600), was an Indian miniature painter in the Mughal style. He was known by his contemporaries as a skilled colorist and keen observer of human nature, and for his use of portraiture in the illustrations of Akbarnama, Mughal Emperor, Akbar's official Biography, which is seen as an innovation in Indian art. More on Basāwan

Attributed to Manohar (active ca. 1582–1624) or Basawan
Mother and Child with a White Cat,  ca. 1598
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
8 9/16 x 5 3/8 in. (21.7 x 13.7 cm)
San Diego Museum of Art

The chromatic subtlety, beautifully realized drapery, and sophisticated handling of linear perspective are worthy of both these artists. The subject matter clearly is inspired by multiple European models; the woman’s windswept drapery echoes that of the Pietas Regia depicted on the second frontispiece of the Royal Polyglot Bible, which was adapted to a reclining nursing posture, hence prompting the Virgin and Child identification. More on this work

Manohar Das, also Manohar or Manuhar, (active 1582–1624) was an Indian Hindu painter in the Mughal style.

Manohar's father Basawan was a master painter in the Mughal emperor's court, where Manohar grew up. His father most likely instructed him, and later Manohar became a court painter as well. His earliest works were painted for Akbar, and then later he was in the service of Akbar's son and successor Jahangir. Manohar's works frequently depicted the royal families and life at court. Some of his works can be found at the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. More on Manohar Das

The imagery was enthusiastically taken up by Akbar's artists, encouraged by the emperor himself, who was fascinated by Christianity and other religions and by Christian and European works of art. Basawan was among the artists influenced by this development, and western traditions of realism, portraying character and the use of advanced perspective were soon incorporated into his style. 

Mid 18th century, late Mughal, Muhammad Shah period
Mother Mary and Child Christ
I have no further description, at this time

This miniature represents mother Mary with child Jesus in her lap and a number of people around. They include a bearded tall male in long saffron gown with green neck and button-loops characteristic to the costumes of the persons in medieval Christian hierarchy, and an alike clad and long haired female: perhaps the persons from ecclesiastic order representing the celestial beings believed to emerge with gifts when the Holy child was born, a maiden with a dark face wearing a heavy green turban on her head and a thick green sheet on her back examining the child : perhaps one from the nursing line, and yet another woman with hardly any specificity behind mother Mary, obviously representing the common devotee. More on this work

Mughal depiction c 1630 of Virgin Mary and Jesus (J.14,2). British Library:
Mughal depiction of the Virgin Mary and Jesus, c 1630 
British Library

Depictions of the Madonna reading a book, usually with the Christ Child on her lap, abound in European art of the sixteenth century, but in addition to these mention should be made of the numerous series of The Liberal Arts produced by European engravers in the sixteenth century, many of which featured female figures holding books, as well as the Puritas Regia frontispiece in Plantin's Royal Bible (the Polyglot Bible), which also shows a female figure holding a book. It was a copy of this edition of the Bible that the Jesuits presented to Emperor Akbar.

Deccani School
Adoration of the Christ Child, ca. 1630
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
H: 15.6 W: 11.0 cm 
Golconda, Deccan, India 
Smithsonian Institution

This watercolor painting depicts the Nativity, or birth of Jesus, celebrated at Christmas. The artist adapted the scene for the South Indian community. Notice Mary’s pierced nose, and how she and a number of the others present still wear bindis. Amidst the offerings on the ground, we even spy a bowl of pineapples!

Possibly painted in Bijapur
The presentation of the infant Jesus in the temple at Jerusalem, 40 days after his birth, c. 1600-1610
Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Height: 24cm, Width: 18cm
Victoria and Albert Museum

Virgin & Child, 1600-25:
Virgin and Child dating to 1600-25. Mary is happily watching over an exploratory baby Jesus, who holds her hand and grasps flowers

The Virgin Mary and the Miracle of Changing Water into Wine
Probably Bundi, Rajasthan, India, c. 18th century
The Virgin Mary and the Miracle of Changing Water into Wine
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
H x W: 23.2 x 15 cm (9 1/8 x 5 7/8 in)
I have no further description, at this time

A crucifixion, with the Virgin and Saint Anne
from Akbar's court, c.1600
Aga Khan Museum

Dastan-i Masih
The ascension of Jesus in the guise of a priest, c. 1602-05
San Diego Museum of Art
I have no further description, at this time

The Dastan-i Masih or ‘the Story of Christ’ was composed by the Jesuit missionary Father Jerome Xavier at the request of the Mughal Emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605). Akbar is well-known for his interest in other faiths. Father Jerome led the third Jesuit mission to the court of Akbar following a specific request from the Emperor. Father Jerome arrived at Lahore in May 1595 having spent the previous year mastering Persian. He used his linguistic abilities to compose a ‘Story of Christ’, recounting the life of Jesus and the deeds ascribed to him by popular legend of the time. The text was formally presented to Akbar in 1602. Father Jerome remarked that copies of the text were already being made before it had been presented to the Emperor. More on Dastan-i Masih

Keshav Das, St. Jerome, 1580-85:
Keshav Das (active ca. 1570–1604)
Saint Jerome, ca. 1580–85
Opaque watercolor on paper
6 11/16 x 3 15/16 in. (17 x 10 cm)
Mat size: 21 1/4 x 16 5/16 in. (54 x 41.5 cm)
Lent by Musée Guimet, Paris

This work, signed “Kesu Das,” was adapted from a European source, in all probability an engraving by Mario Cartaro published in 1564. The ultimate source of Keshav Das’s Saint Jerome is Antique Roman imagery of Neptune, their god of the sea. Michelangelo’s drunken Noah in the Sistine Chapel (completed 1512) represents a famous moment in this figure composition’s evolution and a source accessible to Cartaro in Rome some fifty years later. Following Cartaro’s engraving, the Mughal artist merged two sets of European imagery, the drunken Noah in slumber and the studious Saint Jerome holding a book of learning. Das was exploring a painterly technique more akin to European oil painting than to Indian watercolor, and the atmospheric haze of the distant city vista, again a gesture to European conventions, serves to heighten the dreamlike quality of Saint Jerome’s slumber. More on this work

Jerome (Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus, c.  347 – 30 September 420) was a priest, confessor, theologian and historian. He was the son of Eusebius, born at Stridon, a village near Emona on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia, then part of northeastern Italy. He is best known for his translation of most of the Bible into Latin (the translation that became known as the Vulgate), and his commentaries on the Gospels. His list of writings is extensive.
The protégé of Pope Damasus I, who died in December of 384, Jerome was known for his teachings on Christian moral life, especially to those living in cosmopolitan centers such as Rome. In many cases, he focused his attention to the lives of women and identified how a woman devoted to Jesus should live her life. This focus stemmed from his close patron relationships with several prominent female ascetics who were members of affluent senatorial families.
He is recognised as a Saint and Doctor of the Church by the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Church, and the Anglican Communion. His feast day is 30 September. More on Jerome

Attributable to Manohar, Mughal, circa 1610
Tobias and the Angel
Brush and ink heightened with gold and colour on paper, laid down on an album page with inner borders of gold scrolling flowers, wider outer margins filled with a repeating flower pattern in gold
drawing: 11 by 6.5cm., leaf: 35.3 by 26.5 cm
Private collection

In the Biblical story (Book of Tobit, chapters 5-6), the young Tobias, son of Tobit, is sent by his father from Nineveh to the Median city of Rages (modern Rayy) to collect a debt. The angel Raphael, disguised in human form, offers to accompany Tobias, an offer readily accepted by both father and son. They set out, and on reaching the river Tigris, Tobias goes to the water's edge to wash, where he is confronted by a huge fish. The angel advises him to catch the fish by the gills and bring it ashore, which Tobias does. On the angel's advice he then guts the fish, preserves the heart, liver and gallbladder for warding off evil spirits and cooks the rest of the fish.

In this version the main figure has become female, has no angel's wings and lifts her skirt in a rather un-angelic manner, while the smaller figure of the young Tobias is depicted semi-nude, wearing a Bhil skirt and sporting angel's wings. More on this work

Attributable to Manohar, Mughal, circa 1590
Tobias and a seated angel
Gouache and ink on paper
34.5 by 22.8cm.
Private collection

Gouache heightened with gold on paper, laid down on an album page with green outer margin filled with chinoiserie-style foliate scrolls, inscribed on mount above miniature with the title in nasta’liq script; and above and below miniature, with verses in Persian.

The European iconographic sources for this work are not only the Biblical story itself, but also images such as Venus with Cupid at her feet. In addition, there are two Persian literary sources that may have informed the present composition, one is a scene in the Kalila wa Dimnah (Fables of Bidpai, Anwar-i Suhaili) in which a fisherman offers a hermaphrodite fish to a seated king.

The younger figure's small wings are derived from an image of Cupid or a putti/cherubim. The small figure's essential nakedness is also related to an image of Cupid than Tobias. The feathered covering of the bodies of both figures probably also derives from European imagery, in which angels were occasionally depicted wearing suits of feathers (thought possibly to derive from costumes worn by late-medieval actors in religious dramas), and the penitent Mary Magdalen was sometimes shown wearing a feather-like suit of hair in German works of the late-fifteenth and early-sixteenth centuries. More on this work

In the Biblical story (Book of Tobit, chapters 5-6), the young Tobias, son of Tobit, is sent by his father from Nineveh to the Median city of Rages (modern Rayy) to collect a debt. The angel Raphael, disguised in human form, offers to accompany Tobias, an offer readily accepted by both father and son. They set out, and on reaching the river Tigris, Tobias goes to the water's edge to wash, where he is confronted by a huge fish. The angel advises him to catch the fish by the gills and bring it ashore, which Tobias does. On the angel's advice he then guts the fish, preserves the heart, liver and gall bladder for warding off evil spirits and cooks the rest of the fish. More on Book of Tobit

Bichitr
Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings, From 1615 until 1618
Medium opaque watercolor, gold and ink on paper
Height: 25.3 cm (10 in). Width: 18 cm (7.1 in)
The Smithsonian's Museums of Asian Art

If the Jesuits still retained any hope of converting either emperor, this painting by Bichitr would have snuffed that out. The painting, adorned with naked and clothed European cherubs  shows Jehangir snubbing King James I and VI of England in favour of a Sufi sheikh.

Bichitr
Detail, Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings, From 1615 until 1618
Medium opaque watercolor, gold and ink on paper
Height: 25.3 cm (10 in). Width: 18 cm (7.1 in)
The Smithsonian's Museums of Asian Art

From top to bottom, in order of importance, Ottoman Sultan, King James I of England, and the artist Bichtir (detail), Bichitr, Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings from the "St. Petersburg Album," 1615-1618, opaque watercolor, gold and ink on paper, 18 x 25.3 cm (Freer|Sackler: The Smithsonian's Museums of Asian Art). More on this painting

Bichitr (fl. 17th century) was an Indian painter during the Mughal period, patronized by the emperors Jahangir and Shah Jahan.

The earliest known painting of his is a mature work from c. 1615. He was possibly still active in 1660. Britannica notes that his "court style may have been the most brilliant of all the Mughal painters", with "faultless technique and majestic formality." Influenced by his studies of European artworks, Bichtir incorporated figures with shadows, Western perspective, and putti into his work. More on Bichitr 

Hashim and Abu'l Hasan
Jahangir and Jesus, c. 1615-1620
Chester Beatty Library, Dublin

Jahangir stands in a window wearing a green turban and a jama embroidered
with purple crocuses. A cameo hangs from ropes of pearl necklaces he fingers and in his other hand he holds a globe; below the young Jesus leans out of a similar window carrying a small cross 


Please visit my other blogs: Art CollectorMythologyMarine ArtPortrait of a Lady, The OrientalistArt of the Nude and The Canals of VeniceMiddle East Artists365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.

Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.