Artwork
Cephalus Punished at the Hunt
Cephalus Punished at the Hunt is a fresco painting by the Mannerist artist Luini Bernardino. It dates from 1521 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
Its classification as a fresco defines its material handling and formal presentation.
Executed in 1521, this work is a fresco painted by Bernardino Luini. As a mythological scene, the piece uses the fresco technique, in which pigment is applied to wet plaster, creating a durable surface originally integral to the wall for which it was commissioned. The painting measures approximately 211.4 centimeters in height and 110.3 centimeters in width.
The work was later detached from its original architectural setting in the Milan area and preserved through transfer, passing through several private collections before entering the National Gallery of Art. Its classification as a fresco defines its material handling and formal presentation.
History & Provenance
Bernardino Luini executed this fresco in 1521, likely commissioned by Gerolamo Rabia for either his Milanese residence, Casa Rabia, or his country estate, La Pelucca. If located at Casa Rabia, the work remained in situ until approximately 1800. By the mid-nineteenth century, the fresco belonged to the Milanese lawyer Michele Cavaleri, who sold his collection to Enrico Cernuschi on April 13, 1873.
The work subsequently entered the Parisian market, appearing with the dealer Charles Sedelmeyer by 1897 before joining Rodolphe Kann's collection by 1900.
Following Kann's death, his estate sold the piece to Duveen Brothers, Inc. in 1907. Duveen held the work until 1942, when it was acquired by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, which donated the fresco to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1943. It is displayed there as part of the Samuel H. Kress Collection of Italian paintings.
Legacy
The fresco Cephalus Punished at the Hunt was removed from its original setting around 1800 and entered the art market, passing through the collections of Cavaleri, Cernuschi, and Duveen Brothers before the Samuel H. Kress Foundation acquired it in 1942. Its donation to the National Gallery of Art in 1943 placed the work in a public museum, where it has been part of the Kress Collection and studied in scholarly catalogues such as Shapley's catalogue of Italian paintings, underscoring its recognized importance in the study of Bernardino Luini and Lombard Renaissance fresco painting.
Overview
Bernardino Luini's fresco, "Cephalus Punished at the Hunt," created around 1521, depicts a dramatic moment from classical mythology. This painting, executed on fresh plaster, showcases a hunter's violent encounter with a wild boar within a dense forest setting. The work highlights the artist's skill in capturing intense emotion and natural detail, characteristic of the period's narrative wall paintings.
Subject & Meaning
The fresco illustrates a pivotal, violent episode from the myth of Cephalus, a hunter. It captures the moment Cephalus is attacked and dragged by a wild boar amidst a shadowed forest. The man's expression conveys both pain and shock, emphasizing the sudden and brutal nature of his punishment. This scene draws from ancient stories, bringing a dramatic narrative to life through visual art.
Context
Bernardino Luini was a notable figure in the Lombard school of painting during the early 16th century, recognized for his graceful style and narrative skill. His frescoes, like "Cephalus Punished at the Hunt," were often commissioned for religious or private spaces, bringing classical stories or devotional scenes to life. Other examples of Luini's extensive fresco work can be viewed in collections such as the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
Artist & collection
Artist
Bernardino Luini (c. 1480/82 – June 1532) was a north Italian painter from Leonardo's circle during the High Renaissance. Both Luini and Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio were said to have worked with Leonardo directly; he…
