Nessus and Deianira

ca. 1640 · Statuette

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Wo ist „Nessus and Deianira“ heute? Sammlung: Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Derzeit nicht ausgestellt. Geprüft 25. September 2026.

Victoria and Albert Museum

London, Vereinigtes Königreich

Es gehört zur Sammlung, ist derzeit aber nicht ausgestellt.

Geprüft: vor 18 Tagen
Unverändert seit: 25. Sept. 2026
Quelle: Das Museum

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Über die Skulptur

This popular theme from ancient Greek mythology is one of the tales recounted in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Having offered to carry Hercules and his wife Deianira across the river Euenos, the centaur Nessus took advantage of the situation to ravish Deianira. Hercules, observing the scene from the river bank, drew his bow and fired an arrow, which pierced the centaur's chest.

Here Nessus is about to gallop off with Deianira on his back, while she puts up a fierce struggle, forcing the centaur to use both arms to restrain her.

Little is known about Francesco Fanelli (b: about 1577 - d: soon after 1641). Fanelli, a Florentine by birth, was documented in Genoa in 1608, where, until about 1631, he produced religious works in marble, silver, ivory and bronze. By 1635, he was working at the English court. Although he described himself 'sculptor to the King of Great Britain', it is unclear whether this title was official. The V&A owns versions of several small bronzes by the artist, described as 'ffrancisco the one-eyed Italian' in an inventory of Whitehall Palace in 1639. George Vertue stated that Fanelli 'lv'd and dyd in England'; he is last documented in 1641 and believed to have died soon after.

Victoria and Albert Museum