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Wedding of Peleus and Thetis

Ottmar Elliger the Younger

  • Wedding of Peleus and Thetis 2
  • Wedding of Peleus and Thetis 3
Basic information
ID
Ж-871
Author
Ottmar Elliger the Younger
Name
Wedding of Peleus and Thetis
Country
Germany
Technique
oil painting
Material
canvas oil
Dimensions (height x width, cm)
86.5 x 121
Additionally
Type
painting
Genre
mythological painting
Provenance
the Lubomirski collection
Information about author
Author
Ottmar Elliger the Younger
Artist's lifetime
1666–1735
Country
Germany
Biography
Ottmar Elliger the Younger (1666–1732/1735) was born in Hamburg into the family of the renowned artist Anton Elliger the Elder. He learned the fundamentals of the craft in his father's workshop. After his father died in 1679, the young man studied in Amsterdam under Michiel van Musscher and Gerard de Lairesse. A recognised portraitist, monumental artist, and engraver, he also worked in the historical genre and created paintings on mythological subjects. One is the canvas "The Wedding of Peleus and Thetis".
Object description
The iconography of this theme is typical in European art because it allows for the simultaneous depiction of all the Olympic gods. The nymph Thetis is the daughter of the famous centaur and sage Chiron, the tutor of heroes and gods, while Peleus is the son of Zeus, king of Iolcus. Zeus personally marries Thetis, whom he pursued until he received a prophecy that her son would be stronger than his father. Later, Thetis will give birth to Achilles by Peleus. The painting features (from left to right): Apollo, Marsyas, Paris, Diana, Peleus, Thetis, Zeus, Athena, Hera, Hermes, Poseidon, Amphitrite, Aphrodite, Cupid, Hephaestus, Dionysus, the Erinyes, Helios, and sphinxes. Eris, the goddess of discord, was the only goddess not invited to the wedding. The offended goddess appears uninvited at the banquet and throws a golden apple onto the table with the provocative inscription "To the most beautiful!". The artist depicted this exact moment. A dispute arises between the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite over who should rightfully claim the apple. Zeus assigns the task of resolving the matter to the Trojan prince Paris (a story known as "The Judgement of Paris"). As a result of his decision in favour of Aphrodite, who promised him the love of the most beautiful mortal woman – Helen, who was already the wife of King Menelaus at the time – the Trojan War began, leading to the fall of Troy.
Legal regulation
Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

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