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Joachim Anthonisz Wtewael
Dutch, 1566–1635
The Wedding of Peleus and Thetis
1612
The gods of ancient Greece celebrate the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, the future parents of Achilles. Only Eris, goddess of discord, had not been invited, though she makes a dramatic appearance. Hovering over the festivities on bat-like wings, she holds a golden apple that will cause an argument among the assembled goddesses, eventually leading to the Trojan War.
Paintings on copper, like this one, were highly prized by collectors. The metal’s smooth surface enabled Wtewael to include tiny details that draw the viewer into the story.
Image Caption
Joachim Anthonisz Wtewael, The Wedding of Peleus and Thetis, 1612, Oil on copper. Clark Art Institute, 1991.9
Medium
Oil on copper
Dimensions
14 3/8 x 16 9/16 in. (36.5 x 42 cm)
Frame: 18 5/8 × 21 × 2 3/8 in. (47.3 × 53.3 × 6 cm)
Object Number
1991.9
Acquisition
Acquired by the Clark, 1991
Status
On View
Select Bibliography
New York: Newhouse Galleries, Inc.. Old Master Paintings: An Exhibition of European Paintings from the 16th Century to the 19th Century. April 4-May 3, 1991; Verner Amell Gallery, Ltd., London, June 5-July 19, 1991. Kern, Steven, ed. List of Paintings in the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1992.
Froitzheim-Hegger, Eva-Marina. Sie lebten dahin sorglos in behaglicher Ruhe : Studien zum niederländischen und flämischen Gottermahl. New York: Georg Olms Verlag, 1993
Lowenthal, Anne W. Joachim Wtewael: Mars and Venus Surprised by Vulcan. Malibu, CA: J. Paul Getty Museum. 1995. Kern, Steven, et al. The Clark: Selections from the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1996. Held, Julius S. "Old Masters in the Clark Collection, Part I: Paintings." The Magazine Antiques 62, no. 4 (October 1997): 504–9. Spicer, Joneath A., and Lynn Federle Orr. Masters of Light: Dutch Painters in Utrecht during the Golden Age. Baltimore, New Haven, and London: Yale University Press, The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, and Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, 1997.Bok, M.J., and P. Huys Janssen. “20: De beeldende kunsten.” In Geschiedenis van de Provincie Utrecht: Van 1528 tot 1780 (Stichtse historische reeks), edited by C. Dekker and J. Aalbers, 363-398. Utrecht: Het Spectrum, 1997.
Phoenix Art Museum.. Copper as Canvas: Two Centuries of Masterpiece Paintings on Copper, 1575-1775. Dec. 12, 1998-Feb. 28, 1999; Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, March 28-June 6, 1999. (Not lent to Mauritshuis).Gibson, Sara. "Bacchanalia/Orgy" in Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography: Themes Depicted in Works of Art, Volume I, edited by Helen E. Roberts, 95-101. Chicago and London: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1998.
Sturgis, Alexander. Telling Time. London: National Gallery. 2000. Varriano, John. Wine: A Cultural History. London: Reaktion Books, 2010.Provenance
George Smith, London; (his sale, Christie’s, London, 10 April 1880, no. 63, as Brueghel and Van Balen, sold to Waters); private collection, Scandinavia, c. 1930; (sale, Sotheby’s, London, 11 April 1990, no. 19); (Swedish art market); [Newhouse Galleries, New York, 1991, sold to the Clark]; Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1991.