Cephalus and Procris in two Niches
1539
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
Artist
René Boyvin
René Boyvin (1525–1598) was a French artist, born in Angers.
See the richer artist page1539
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Cephalus and Procris in two Niches is a 1539 by René Boyvin, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see two figures, Cephalus and Procris, in separate niches. They are carved in detail, with intricate designs. The carvings show influence from Italian artists who worked in France. The Italian artists brought new ideas to France. They worked on decorative programs for the king's chateau. This led to a mix of French and Italian styles. Check out the work of René Boyvin for similar styles.
The Italian Renaissance made an impact outside Italy in the second quarter of the 1500s, when the French king François I invited Italian artists to oversee the decorative program of his chateau at Fontainebleau. Arriving in 1530, Rosso Fiorentino had been deeply influenced by Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling frescoes, which he had seen while working in Rome between 1524 and 1527. Rosso’s designs for two figures in niches (which were engraved by René Boyvin) imitate the complexity and tension of Michelangelo’s nudes. In this story from Ovid’s Metamorphoses , Cephalus has accidentally…
Read the full account in the museum source.
René Boyvin (1525–1598) was a French artist, born in Angers.
See the richer artist page
