Vulcan or Winter

After it opened in 1825, the museum’s collection grew thanks to the particularly generous donations from the people of Orléans in support of their museum. At the same time, an acquisition policy focused on rare works made it possible to bring in great masterpieces such as Velázquez’s “Saint Thomas” in 1837 and Pompeo Batoni’s “Vulcan,” acquired in 1853 at the auction of the Romantic portraitist and lithographer Henri Grevedon. A brilliant artist, a master portraitist, and one of the most important Italian history painters of the 18th century, Batoni is rarely found in French collections. Only the museums of the Louvre, Versailles, Dijon, Brest, and Orléans collectively hold fewer than ten of his paintings, with a large portion of his work preserved in England and, of course, in Italy. Initially considered a standalone work, this “Vulcan” was also thought to be part of a series depicting the four seasons, though it has not been possible to locate other works of the same dimensions to support this theory. Identification was made difficult by an earlier restoration that had reduced the painting’s size, leaving only a few millimeters of an “oculus” that had previously created an architectural frame around the painting, now visible beneath the frame. The reappearance on the art market of two figures of the same size, featuring a similar structure (this time complete) and the same “Battoni” annotation, made it clear that these were two other paintings from this series of four, which was likely separated at the end of the 18th century or the beginning of the 19th century. The painting from Orléans has been reunited with two of its companions. Extremely rare in Batoni’s oeuvre, these heads were intended to be set against a backdrop high above—either painted or architectural—using an optical technique designed to accentuate the figures’ three-dimensionality. Given the refinement of the color palette and the elegance of the three gods’ poses, the “Four Seasons” (of which “Spring”—probably “Flora”—is missing) can be dated to the painter’s mature period, around 1770–1780, when he was producing almost exclusively portraits sought after by the greatest art collectors of the 18th century. Bringing together several paintings from a series marks a historic moment in the history of a collection. This achievement was made possible thanks to the efforts of the Galerie Canesso in Paris, the Heritage Fund set aside for major acquisitions, and Mrs. Guillaux, who bequeathed a sum to facilitate significant acquisitions. All that remains now is to find “Flora,” or “Spring!” These three paintings have proven it: museum collections have time on their side. Perhaps in a century and a half, “Flora” will in turn reappear to complete a cycle that has remained scattered for far too long.