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Iphigenia was the eldest daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. When the Achaean ships were about to set sail from Aulis for Troy and a propitiatory victim was needed for the departure, the sooth-sayer Calchas chose her; With the pretext of a wedding with Achilles, Iphigenia was lured to sacrifice. The gods were moved with pity and transformed her into the goddess Hecate. The sketch for the cur-tain shows the same mythological subject as the ceiling of the Stupinigi residence, which was painted by the same artist, but given a lighter rendering by the pastel colours and the addition of rococo motifs such as the puttini and Diana’s chariot. Crosato started work as a stage designer at the Teatro Regio during his first stay in Turin in 1730-1731. His sketch for the curtain at Teatro Regio may have replaced the previous one for the 1749-1750 season.

Details

  • Title: The Sacrifice of Iphigenia
  • Creator: Giovanni Battista Crosato
  • Creator Lifespan: c. 1697 - 1758
  • Creator Nationality: Italian
  • Creator Gender: Male
  • Creator Death Place: Venice
  • Date: c. 1750
  • Physical Dimensions: w88,5 x h84 cm
  • Date of acquisition: 1899
  • Acquisition: Purchase
  • Provenance: Museo Civico d'Arte Antica - Palazzo Madama, Turin
  • Type: Paintings
  • Rights: http://www.palazzomadamatorino.it/copyright.php
  • External Link: Museo Civico d'Arte Antica - Palazzo Madama, Turin
  • Medium: Tempera on canvas

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