Hylas and the Nymphs
Joshua Cristall (Cambourne 1767/68 - London 1847)
Category
Art / Drawings and watercolours
Date
1807 (exh)
Materials
Watercolour on paper
Measurements
552 x 735 mm (21 ¾ x 29 in)
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Attingham Park, Shropshire
NT 607882
Caption
The story of Hylas, which is found in the ancient Greek poem by Theocritus and in the Roman poet Ovid’s Metamorphoses, is rarely depicted in art. It was a favoured in the Renaissance – most famously by Piero di Cosimo – possibly because of its treatment in poetry by Poliziano and Lorenzo de’ Medici - and Francesco Furini and more recently by William Etty at Anglesey Abbey (NT). The composition is reminiscent of religious images of the Entombment of Christ which in turn was possibly inspired by a classical relief of a dying soldier. As Hylas is meant to be alive he is usually seen offering some resistance to the females. Hylas was the beautiful son of Theodamas, king of Mysia and the nymph Menodice. Hercules fought and killed Theodamas when the latter refused to hand over one of the bulls he was using for ploughing. He fell in love with Hylas and carried him off on the expedition of the Argonauts. When they broke an oar near the Mysian coast (north-western Turkey) and put ashore to cut a new one, Hylas went to draw water from a local spring, called Pegae. Dryope and the other nymphs of the spring fell in love with his beauty and, when he bent over, dragged him down into the water, never to be seen again. Hylas was said to have called out three times to Hercules before finally disappearing and therefore it was said that for centuries the local Mysians sacrificed to Hylas at the spring where he disappeared; three times the priest would call out and three times an echo came in reply.
Summary
Watercolour on paper, Hylas and the Nymphs by Joshua Cristall (Cambourne 1768 – London 1847). The naked figure of Hylas, a companion and servant of Hercules, holding a pitcher in his left hand, is carried by three nymphs or Naiads, one at his head, one leaning over his body, one at his feet, into a river, fringed with trees. According the ancient Greek poet Theocritus (13) that was the last time he was ever seen. In scenes which depict the story he is usually seen resisting the females. Companion to NT 607883 and NT 607884. Glazed in ornate giltwood frame, carved leaf border. Number '31' on frame.
Provenance
Possibly commissioned by Thomas Welsh Esq; bought by Thomas Henry Noel-Hill 8th Lord Berwick (1877-1947) with other two Cristalls; bequeathed to the National Trust by Edith Teresa Hulton, Lady Berwick (1890-1972).
Credit line
Attingham Park, The Berwick Collection (National Trust)
Marks and inscriptions
Artist's name and title are on the back of the drawing.
Makers and roles
Joshua Cristall (Cambourne 1767/68 - London 1847), publisher
References
Sloman 1988 Susan Legouix Sloman, ‘Joshua Cristall’s figure compositions: a look at some of the artist’s sources’, in Watercolours and Drawings, vol.III, No.4, Autumn 1988, pp.16-17 and fig.4