Belphagore

Artist: Jean-Baptiste Oudry

Media: Brush and Black ink and gray wash, heightened with white gouache on blue paper

Date: c. 1734

Dimensions: 12 1/4 in. x 10 1/4 in.

“This drawing by Jean-Baptiste Oudry illustrates a fable by poet Jean de La Fontaine. The fable is based on a myth told in Niccolò Machiavelli's novel Mandragola.

Pluto, the ruler of the underworld, sits above his subjects in the fiery depths of Hades; the demon Belphagore stands before him. As the drawing shows, he is about to send Belphagore to earth to find the answer to an eternal question: whether spouses influence their mates to sin. In the guise of a rich merchant, Belphagore forces a woman to marry him. She is in love with another man, however, and escapes with him. Even after Belphagore disguises himself again and tries to seduce her, she stays virtuous.” The Getty Museum

Jean-Baptiste Oudry was born in 1686. He often painted the royal hounds for King Louis XV of France. He was trained by the painter Nicola de Largillière. In 1719 he became a member of the Académie de Peinture et de Sculpture and a professor at that school in 1743. He made himself well known for his tapestry works. He died in 1755.

           
This particular work fits the theme because of its display of Pluto, a ruler of the underworld and Belphagore, a demon. I like this artwork because it reminds me of a comic book, yet the piece was done in the 1700’s, long before Batman or Superman was even given thought. I also like the different shades of blue that could represent the darkness of the underworld.