The Triumph of Galatea
c. 1650
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
original canvas: 148.3 × 203 cm (58 3/8 × 79 15/16 in.) with extensions: 152.1 × 205.1 cm (59 7/8 × 80 3/4 in.) framed: 178.75 × 234.32 × 15.24 cm (70 3/8 × 92 1/4 × 6 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CIS-B
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
2000.61.1
Art Historical Context
Behold *The Triumph of Galatea a captivating oil on canvas by Neapolitan Baroque master Bernardo Cavallino, around 1650. This grand work (originally 148.3 × 203 cm, later extended to 152.1 × 205.1 cm) depicts the mythological sea nymph Galatea triumphantly riding a chariot drawn by dolphins, surrounded by frolicking sea creatures and cupids. Drawing from Ovid's *Metamorphoses it celebrates themes of love, beauty, and the sea's enchantment, rendered with Cavallino's signature luminous colors and fluid, dynamic forms. Cavallino, active in 17th-century Naples under Spanish rule, blended Caravagg...