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Homer: Epic Poetry (reduction of a mural in Boston Public Library)
Pierre Cécile Puvis de Chavannes (French, 1824–1898)
about 1895
Medium/Technique
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
124.5 x 63.2 cm (49 x 24 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of David P. Kimball in memory of his wife Clara Bertram Kimball
Accession Number23.506
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsPaintings
The American architectural firm McKim, Meade, and White, approached Puvis de Chavannes to paint murals for the Boston Public Library in 1891. Puvis chose as his theme four branches of knowledge: History, Philosophy, Poetry, and Science. To represent epic poetry, he chose the blind poet Homer, seated beside figures representing his works, The Iliad (carrying a spear) and The Odyssey (carrying an oar). The present painting is a scaled-down repetition of his original work, which still hangs in the Public Library.
InscriptionsLower left: P. Puvis de Chavannes
Provenance1896, sold by the artist to Durand-Ruel, Paris; 1897, sold by Durand-Ruel, Paris to Durand-Ruel, New York (stock no. 1671); March 12, 1897, sold by Durand-Ruel to Clara Bertram Kimball (b. 1838 - d. 1920), Boston; by inheritance to her husband, David P. Kimball (b. 1833 - d. 1923), Boston; 1923, bequest of David P. Kimball to the MFA [see note 1]. (Accession Date: November 1, 1923)
NOTES:
[1] In 1923 David P. Kimball bequeathed forty paintings to the MFA in memory of his wife, Clara Bertram Kimball. He noted in his will that these were "from the collection made by her and bequeathed to me."
NOTES:
[1] In 1923 David P. Kimball bequeathed forty paintings to the MFA in memory of his wife, Clara Bertram Kimball. He noted in his will that these were "from the collection made by her and bequeathed to me."