A nymph straddles a sea-creature, holding a long sail above her head which arcs around her body in the wind.
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

A nymph straddles a sea-creature, holding a long sail above her head which arcs around her body in the wind. Traces of white gouache highlight her fleshy belly and breasts, but are not present elsewhere in the ink drawing. Three putti play at the nymph’s feet, mischievously attempting to ride the creature. In the background, more putti are visible. The whole composition is crossed by horizontal lines which indicate the presence and movement of the sea, the sky and the wind.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1965.368
People
Luca Cambiaso, Italian (Moneglia, Genoa, Italy 1527 - 1585 Madrid, Spain)
Title
Nymph and Putti Riding on a Dolphin
Classification
Drawings
Work Type
drawing
Date
16th century
Places
Creation Place: Europe, Italy, Liguria, Genoa
Culture
Italian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/296469

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Brown ink and gray-brown wash, white gouache, over graphite on tan antique laid paper
Dimensions
40.3 × 26.6 cm (15 7/8 × 10 1/2 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: l.r., brown ink: Cangiagi
  • collector's mark: l.r., black ink: L. 628

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Richard Cosway (Lugt 628). [P. & D. Colnaghi, London] sold; to Paul J. Sachs, Cambridge, MA, by 1930, bequest; to Fogg Art Museum, 1965

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Meta and Paul J. Sachs
Accession Year
1965
Object Number
1965.368
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • Agnes Mongan and Paul J. Sachs, Drawings in the Fogg Museum of Art, Harvard University Press (Cambridge, 1940), vol. 1, cat. no. 75, p. 58
  • Konrad Oberhuber, European Master Drawings of Six Centuries from the Collection of the Fogg Art Museum, exh. cat., National Museum of Western Art (Tokyo, 1979), cat. no. 19, n.p.; repr., n.p., pl. 19
  • Agnes Mongan, Konrad Oberhuber, and Jonathan Bober, The Famous Italian Drawings at the Fogg Art Museum in Cambridge, Silvana Editoriale (Milan, Italy, 1988), cat. no. 39, n.p., and p. 40 and under cat. no. 56, n.p.; repr. (color)
  • Matthias Waschek, Marjorie B. Cohn, Judith Mann, and Stephan Wolohojian, Ideal [Dis-] Placements: Old Masters at the Pulitzer, exh. cat., Pulitzer Arts Foundation (St. Louis, 2008), no. 39, repr. pp. 34-35

Exhibition History

  • European Master Drawing of Six Centuries from the Collection of the Fogg Art Museum, National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, 11/03/1979 - 12/16/1979
  • The Heavenly Twins: Edward W. Forbes, Paul J. Sachs and the Building of a Collection, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/23/1995 - 12/17/1995
  • Ideal [Dis-] Placements: Old Masters at the Pulitzer, Pulitzer Arts Foundation, St. Louis, 10/24/2008 - 10/03/2009
  • 32Q: 2400 French/Italian/Spanish, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 12/16/2024 - 03/31/2025

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu