Cimon and Iphegenia
About this artwork
This painting presents a story from Boccaccio’s ‘Decameron’. Cimon, a handsome but coarse and uneducated son of a nobleman, came across the maiden Iphegenia and fell instantly in love. The effects of love transformed him into a polished and accomplished gentleman, who eventually courted and married the beautiful Iphegenia. This scene shows the moment of their encounter – Cimon appears as a hunter at right, while Iphegenia dozes in the open air with a companion to the left. This painting is unusual in Poelenburch’s oeuvre for the large size of the figures and the extraordinarily sensual attitude of Iphegenia.
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title:Cimon and Iphegenia
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accession number:NG 2781
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artist:
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gallery:
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object type:
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materials:Oil on copper
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date created:About 1630 - 1650
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measurements:26.0 x 30.9 cm (framed: 33.20 x 38.40 x 3.00 cm)
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credit line:Purchased 2005
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photographer:Antonia Reeve
Cornelis van Poelenburch
Cornelis van Poelenburch
Cornelis van Poelenburch was born in Utrecht where he studied under the Mannerist painter Abraham Bloemart. Around 1617 he travelled to Rome to work and study, which was to have a lasting effect on his art. There, he was a founding member of a society of Netherlandish artists working in…