Description
Jalabert was praised by his contemporaries for his subtle, refined renderings of historical genre scenes. In this painting, which was exhibited at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1855, he shows Orpheus, the legendary poet of ancient Thrace (Greece), enthralling with his music nymphs reclining on the bank of a stream.



Nymphs Listening to the Songs of Orpheus
Conservation
Date | Description | Narrative |
---|---|---|
2/17/1938 | Treatment | cleaned; coated |
5/12/1976 | Treatment | coated; loss compensation; cleaned |
5/12/1976 | Examination | examined for condition |
7/24/1978 | Treatment | coated; loss compensation; repaired; other |
11/15/1995 | Treatment | other |
11/16/1995 | Loan Consideration | examined for loan |
3/04/1996 | Treatment | cleaned; loss compensation; coated; re-housed |
6/07/1996 | Treatment | other |
Exhibitions
- The Second Empire 1852-1870: Art in France under Napoleon III. Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia; The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit. 1978-1979.
- Dei ed Eroi: Classicità e mito fra '800 e '900 (Gods and Heroes). Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome. 1996.
- Before Monet: Landscape Painting in France and Impressionist Masters: Highlights from The Walters Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1998.
- A Magnificent Age: Masterpieces from the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City; Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte. 2002-2004.
Provenance
Purchased by Goupil et Cie, Paris, August 1853 as "Nymphe des Bois" [1]; purchased by Vincent van Gogh, La Haye, Netherlands, 1854 (?) or Unknown collector, Liège [date and mode of acquisition unknown] or Marcke de Lummen, Netherlands, September 1854 [2]; Rothschild [date and mode of acquisition unknown] (?); Alexander White, Chicago [date and mode of acquisition unknown]. Purchased by Samuel P. Avery, New York, date unknown; purchased by William T. Walters, Baltimore, 1878 or earlier; by inheritance, Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1894; by bequest, Walters Art Museum, 1931.
[1] Goupil et Cie Stock Book 1, Stock no. 455, Page 49, Row 10
[2] Goupil et Cie Stock Book 1, Stock no. 426, Page 47, Row 6
Inscriptions
[Signature] Lower left: ch. Jalabert.; [Date] Lower left: 1853
Credit
Acquired by William T. Walters, before 1878
Creator
Period
1853Accession Number
37.37Measurements
H: 44 x W: 36 1/8 in. (111.8 x 91.8 cm) Framed H: 59 1/2 × W: 52 1/4 in. (151.13 × 132.72 cm)Geographies
- France (Place of Origin)