ticketsMember | Make a donation

An Artist and His Model

Felice Giani Italian
1778–1823
Not on view
Felice Gianni is one of the preeminent Italian exponents the Neo-Classical style that flourished in Europe in the early 18th century. This masterful drawing of a painter from classical antiquity in his studio may depict the celebrated Greek artist Apelles executing a portrait of the beautiful Campaspe, mistress of Alexander the Great. According to the Roman historian Pliny the Elder, Alexander was so taken with the result that he kept the portrait but awarded Campaspe herself to Apelles in gratitude. Just as Saint Luke, purported author of a portrait of the Virgin Mary, was a hagiographic archetype for artists, so too was Apelles an apposite, classical model for the painter's profession.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: An Artist and His Model
  • Artist: Felice Giani (Italian, San Sebastiano Curone, near Alessandria 1758–1823 Rome)
  • Date: 1778–1823
  • Medium: Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, highlighted with white, on gray-brown washed paper
  • Dimensions: 17-1/2 x 12-1/16 in. (44.4 x 30.6 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Cornelius Vanderbilt, 1880
  • Object Number: 80.3.109
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Design for a Ceiling, Felice Giani Italian, Graphite, pen and ink with brown wash
Design for a Ceiling
Felice Giani
n.d.
Two sculptures on pedestals, Felice Giani Italian, Brown pen and ink and wash
Two sculptures on pedestals
Felice Giani
18th–19th century
Study of Five Vases or Urns, Felice Giani Italian, Pen and gray ink, brush and brown wash, over freehand graphite and ruling, borders in blue wash
Study of Five Vases or Urns
Felice Giani
ca. 1790–1800
Design for the Decoration of a Wall and Ceiling of a 'Gabinetto' related to Virgil's Fourth Canto, Felice Giani Italian, Pen and brown ink, brush and pink, yellow, orange and blue-green wash, over leadpoint
Design for the Decoration of a Wall and Ceiling of a 'Gabinetto' related to Virgil's Fourth Canto
Felice Giani
1778–1823
Design for a Ceiling with Decoration Related to Virgil's Sixth Canto, Felice Giani Italian, Pen and brown ink, brush and yellow, pink, blue and green wash over leadpoint; vertical line in leadpoint through the center to create the symmetry of the drawing and to other vertical lines parallels to the one on the center
Design for a Ceiling with Decoration Related to Virgil's Sixth Canto
Felice Giani
1778–1823

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.