Asher Brown Durand
Ariadne

Ariadne

Public Domain

Ariadne
ArtistAmerican, 1796–1886
ArtistAmerican, 1775–1852
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Ariadne
Date1835
Published inNew York , New York, United States
Published inLondon, England
Published inParis, , France
MediumEngraving on wove paper, seventh state
DimensionsPlate: 14 3/8 × 17 15/16 in. (36.5 × 45.6 cm)
 Sheet: 17 × 20 1/4 in. (43.2 × 51.4 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase funded by the Bayou Bend Docent Organization
Object numberB.95.2
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Chillman Parlor
On view

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Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
DescriptionIn 1796, artist John Vanderlyn went to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris to study painting with the encouragement and support of Aaron Burr at a time when most aspiring American artists went to London to study with Benjamin West. His painting of a mythological scene, Ariadne Asleep on the Island of Naxos, won him acclaim when exhibited in Paris, but American audiences found it too shocking. Unsurprisingly, Asher Brown Durand’s engraving of the scene did not sell in great numbers.
ProvenanceJohn Ferguson Weir (1841–1926), New York; [Winterthur Museum and Gardens, Delaware (deaccessioned 1994)]; purchased by MFAH, 1995.
Exhibition HistoryPetit Museum, Theta Charity Antiques Show, September 18–23, 1996, Houston, TX (LN:96.36)

Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Inscribed below image: Ariadne---Gift of J. F. Weir [pencil] [subsequently altered to read: John Ferguson Weird (1841–1926)] [Fowble 1987, pp. 532–533, no. 390]

[no marks]

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