The Four Seasons: Winter - Aeolus with the Winds
attributed to William Hamilton RA (Chelsea 1751 - London 1801)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
1770 - 1799
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
1100 x 1500 mm
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire
NT 108933.2
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, The Four Seasons: King Aeolus - Winter, attributed to William Hamilton RA (Chelsea 1751 – London 1801). One of four rectangular panels in Dining Room ceiling depicting the Four Seasons expressed by a Triumph of Venus (spring), Apollo (summer), Bacchus (autumn) and King Aeolus (winter). King Aeolus was the son of Hippotas and king of the floating island of Aeolia, traditionally identified with one of the Lipari islands off the north coast of Sicily. He was made the guardian of the winds by Zeus. He helped Odysseus on his return home from Troy by giving him a gentle West Wind to blow him home and also a bag of the boisterous winds. When Odysseus fell asleep his men opened the bag and the ship was swept all the way back to Aeolia. Aeolus refused to help him any further.
Provenance
Bought with part of the contents of Kedleston with the aid of the National Heritage Memorial Fund in 1987 when the house and park were given to the National Trust by Francis Curzon, 3rd Viscount Scarsdale (1924-2000)
Credit line
Kedleston Hall, The Scarsdale Collection (acquired with the help of the National Heritage Memorial Fund and transferred to the National Trust in 1987)
Makers and roles
attributed to William Hamilton RA (Chelsea 1751 - London 1801), artist Antonio Zucchi, RA (Venice 1726 - Rome 1796), artist