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Catalog Data

Artist:
Benjamin West, born Springfield, PA 1738-died London, England 1820  Search this
Medium:
oil on canvas
Dimensions:
56 3/8 x 75 3/8 in. (143.3 x 198.3 cm.)
Type:
Painting
Date:
1776
Gallery Label:
Benjamin West was in a complicated position as painter to King George III. He was an American who had made his reputation with classical scenes painted for English aristocrats and royalty. Yet, in a court ruled by strict etiquette, West and the king had many frank conversations about the tensions brewing in the American colonies. The union of Helen and Paris led to the Trojan war, and the shadow falling over Cupid's face at the center of this painting may reflect West's fear of war between the monarch and his subjects across the Atlantic.Exhibition Label, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2006
Topic:
Mythology\classical\Cupid  Search this
History\United States\Revolution  Search this
Mythology\classical\Venus  Search this
Mythology\classical\Paris  Search this
Mythology\classical\Helen  Search this
Credit Line:
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase
Object number:
1969.33
Restrictions & Rights:
CC0
See more items in:
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department:
Painting and Sculpture
Data Source:
Smithsonian American Art Museum
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk79d896f69-4328-45f2-840c-6dbb126cf862
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:saam_1969.33