Tarquin and Lucretia
1579
oil
canvas
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
1579
oil
canvas
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
Tarquin and Lucretia is a 1579 oil by Tintoretto, a Mannerism work, held at Art Institute of Chicago.
Tintoretto’s Tarquin and Lucretia shows a dark room. A man looms over a woman on a bed. His hand clutches a knife. She struggles, her face twisted in fear. Tintoretto twisted bodies and space on purpose. He used light to push drama forward. You can almost hear the struggle in the brushstrokes. Look up the Art Institute of Chicago to see this painting in person.
According to Roman history, the rape of the virtuous matron Lucretia by Tarquin, son of the Roman king, incited the people to overthrow the monarchy and establish a republic around 510 BCE. Lucretia was hailed as a hero for subsequently committing suicide in an attempt to avoid any perceived dishonor to her family. Tintoretto depicted one of the most violent moments of the story with his characteristic expressive distortions of anatomy and space and vibrant treatment of light: As Tarquin and Lucretia struggle, a pillow flies through the air, her pearl necklace breaks apart, and the fabric and…
Possibly Antonio Tronsarelli, Rome (died 1601) ["Un quadro grande in tela colorito a olio di Tarquinio quando Viola Lucretia di mano del Tentoretto (sic)"; see Matteo Lafranconi, "Antonio Tronsarelli: A Roman collector of the late sixteenth century," Burlington Magazine 140 (1998), p. 545, no. (5)]. Private collection, France [according to Illustrated London News, 4 December 1937]. Robert Lebel, Paris, by 1937 [Illustrated London News, 4 December 1937]. Richard Goetz, Paris and New York, by 1939 [1939 Knoedler exh. cat.]. Sold by E. and A. Silberman Galleries, New York, to the Art Institute,…
New York, M. Knoedler and Co., Classics of the Nude, 1939, no. 10. New York World's Fair, Masterpieces of Art: European Paintings and Sculpture, 1300–1800, 1939, no. 378. San Francisco, California Palace of the Legion of Honor and the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, "Seven Centuries of Painting," 1939–40, no. Y-19. Cleveland Museum of Art, Masterpieces of Art from the New York and San Francisco World's Fairs, February 7– March 7, 1940, no. 63; Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 28 May–23 June, 1940, no. 37; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, July 15– September 15, 1940, no. 4. Philadelphia Museum…
Read the full account in the museum source.
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