The Sacrifice of Iphigenia

Gaetano Gandolfi

1789 · Oil on canvas · European Paintings

Using many of the Tiepolos’ compositional innovations, Gandolfi’s painting presents a story related by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides. Agamemnon’s daughter is about to be sacrificed to appease the goddess Artemis, who at the climactic moment appears and substitutes a deer on the altar. Daring foreshortening results in an unlikely compression of the figures and a suitably theatrical structure. This oil sketch was preparatory to a ceiling in the Palazzo Gnudi Scagliarini in Bologna. The frame designed for this painting was probably inspired by the plasterwork of the palace for which it was commissioned.

Artist

Gaetano Gandolfi

Date

1789

Medium

Oil on canvas

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 2015