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Notes
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A servant presents Artemisia, queen of the ancient Greek city of Halicarnassus, with a cup containing the ashes of her dead husband Mausolus, which she was said to have drunk in order to become his living tomb. Artemisia gazes solemnly upward, her face pale. With her mouth slightly open, she is either poised to drink the contents of the cup or has just done so. Our eye is drawn along the serving girl’s crisp yellow drapery towards the tray in her outstretched hand. This diagonal is continued by the bowl in Artemisia’s hand and culminates in her sorrowful face. Creti was known for elegant compositions such as this, and for his precise handling of form. Here, the servant’s graceful profile and intricate hairstyle are painted with his meticulous, almost calligraphic brushwork.
Title
Artemisia drinking the Ashes of Mausolus
Date
about 1713-14
Medium
Oil on canvas
Measurements
H 62.7 x W 49.9 cm
Accession number
NG6628
Acquisition method
Presented by the Trustees of Sir Denis Mahon's Charitable Trust through the Art Fund, 2013
Work type
Painting
The National Gallery, London
Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England
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