The Cave of Eternity

Luca Giordano 1634 - 1705

Summary

This bozzetto (preliminary sketch) for a ceiling fresco is one of a cycle painted by Giordano for the library and gallery of the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi in Florence between 1682 and 1685. The final modello (an elaborate oil sketch of a standard suitable to show to a patron for approval) for this fresco, one of a group of ten, is in the collection of the National Gallery, to which it was bequeathed by Denis Mahon. According to Ellis Waterhouse (Italian Baroque Painting, 1962, p. 166), this grand cycle by the Neopolitan Giordano was the last major work of decoration to be painted in Florence during the seventeenth century. The subject for the relatively small Galleria on an upper floor of the garden courtyard was no less than ‘The apotheosis of the dynasty of the Medici and the advantage of their rule to commerce, industry, arts and letters'. The painting was intended to sit above the false door on the short wall opposite the entrance. The complex iconographical programme, devised by Senatore Alessandro Segni, charts human development. This is the first painting, showing the elements that control man's life on earth. The setting is the Cave of Eternity, where the Moirai (Three Fates) spin the thread of human life, given to them by Janus, who can see the past and foresee the future. Behind Janus, Fortune, naked and winged, offers a golden rod to the veiled Demigorgon and to abundant Nature, who is shown lactating. The gambolling putti represent unborn human souls and to the right the winged figure of Prometheus carries the torch of life. The entire group is encircled by a snake biting its tail, which is a symbol of eternity. Giordano was one of the most celebrated painters of the Neapolitan Baroque. He was also active in Rome, Florence, Venice and Madrid (1692-1702), where he court painter to Charles II.

Display Label

An Allegory of Time and Eternity around 1685 Luca Giordano 1632 - 1705 Oil on canvas This is a preliminary sketch for a ceiling fresco. It is one of a cycle painted for the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi in Florence. It continues a tradition of grand subject matter which became a model for the rest of Europe, particularly for official commissions. Few artists and patrons in Italy embraced the realism which had become so important in the north. The cycle charts human development. This is the first painting showing the elements which control man's life on earth. The setting is a cave inhabited by Father Time. The Three Fates spin the thread of human life given to them by Janus, who sees the past and the future. The putti (cherubs) represent unborn human souls While, to the right, Prometheus carries the torch of life. The group is encircled by a snake biting its tail, an ancient symbol of eternity. Purchased 1964.284