The Triumph of Neptune
1766 or later
Medium
Watercolor and black chalk on two sheets of cream laid paper
Dimensions
image: 23.8 × 34.1 cm · mounted: 34 × 44 cm
Classification
Drawing
Department
Drawings
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Severance and Greta Millikin Trust
Accession Number
2013.48
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
Natoire produced this drawing based on a fresco by Guillaume Courtois, known as Il Borgognone (1628–1679), that decorates a vaulted ceiling in the Palazzo Dorio-Pamphili in Valmontone. Carrying his trident, Neptune skims the ocean waves in a chariot attended by the gods Nereus and Oceanus, his son, Triton, and a dolphin. Able to raise tempests and calm the sea, Neptune gestures toward darkened clouds where two blowing faces personify the winds. Natoire’s fluid brushstrokes and vibrant use of col...