Asher Brown Durand
Ariadne

Public Domain

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ArtistEngraved by Asher Brown Durand American, 1796–1886

Artistafter John Vanderlyn American, 1775–1852

CultureAmerican

Titles

Ariadne

Date1835

Published inParis, , France

Published inNew York , New York, United States

Published inLondon, England

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

Not on view

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Department

Bayou Bend

Object Type

PRINTS

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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