Marble
University of Notre Dame
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Polyphemus and Galatea

Date

ca. 1640-1645

Creator

François Perrier

Location

Raclin Murphy Museum of Art

Perrier is recorded as having addressed the subject of Polyphemus and Galatea on many occasions. This drawing, for which there is no known closely associated painting, is informed by Annibale Carracci’s (1560–1609) composition of the same subject in the Palazzo Farnese, dated 1596–97. Perrier emulates the frontal, leaning positioning of the Cyclops Polyphemus in the left of the composition, and similarly frames the sea nymph Galatea, supported by other nymphs, with a billowing sash. He adds a merman and more nymphs in the lower right corner of the composition and orients it horizontally. In 1645–50 Perrier produced a painting of the subject, now in the Musée du Louvre, reversing the groupings of figures and elaborating on the composition. from Snay, The Epic and the Intimate: French Drawings from the John D. Reilly Collection (Notre Dame, 2011)

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Perrier is recorded as having addressed the subject of Polyphemus and Galatea on many occasions. This drawing, for which there is no known closely associated painting, is informed by Annibale Carracci’s (1560–1609) composition of the same subject in the Palazzo Farnese, dated 1596–97. Perrier emulates the frontal, leaning positioning of the Cyclops Polyphemus in the left of the composition, and similarly frames the sea nymph Galatea, supported by other nymphs, with a billowing sash. He adds a merman and more nymphs in the lower right corner of the composition and orients it horizontally. In 1645–50 Perrier produced a painting of the subject, now in the Musée du Louvre, reversing the groupings of figures and elaborating on the composition. from Snay, The Epic and the Intimate: French Drawings from the John D. Reilly Collection (Notre Dame, 2011)
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François Perrier (French, 1594 - 1649)
ca. 1640-1645
Drawings
Pen and brown ink and wash over black chalk on laid paper
2014.061.119
mythology
Not on view, please request access
8 5/8 x 10 5/8 in. (21.92 x 27 cm)
Bequest of John D. Reilly, ND '63, '64

Our collection information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. If you have spotted an error, please contact Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at RMMACollections@nd.edu.