Florentine Poet
Medium
Oil on wood
Dimensions
12 x 19 7/8 in. (30.5 x 50.5 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The John Hobart Warren Bequest, 1923
Accession Number
23.103.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Florentine Poet** (1861) by Alexandreanel captures the elegance of 19th-century French Academic art during the Second Empire. Cabanel, a leading painter favored by Napoleon III, excelled in polished portraits and historical scenes that blended classical idealism with contemporary refinement. This small-scale work, depicting male and female figures evoking Renaissance Florence, reflects his fascination with poetic and literary themes, transporting viewers to Italy's cultural golden age. Painted in oil on wood—a medium ideal for intimate cabinet pieces like this 12 x 19⅞-inch panel—Cabanel's ...