Zephyre and Flore
1776
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
Artist
Jean-François Janinet
Jean-François Janinet (1752–1814) was a French artist, born in Paris.
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From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Zephyre and Flore is a 1776 by Jean-François Janinet, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This painting shows Zephyre, the west wind, with a woman. He's blowing gently on her. The story behind this print is interesting: it was made to look like a foreign import, with a fake gold frame. The artist used this trick to make his work seem more valuable. He was trying to make a name for himself in the art world. You can learn more about this technique by looking into chiaroscuro.
Following the method of Bonnet, his mentor and colleague, Janinet created luxurious sets of color prints with printed gold frames and passed them off as foreign imports. Because the printmakers’ unauthorized use of gold leaf was eventually caught, only a limited number of gilded examples were produced. Impressions of these prints are scarce today, as many were ruined after being displayed in homes. This allegory of spring depicts Zephyre, the classical personification of the west wind, with his lover Flore, goddess of flowers
Read the full account in the museum source.
Jean-François Janinet (1752–1814) was a French artist, born in Paris.
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