Mercury Ordering Calypso to Release Odysseus (c.1680)

Lairesse, Gérard de (1641-1711) Mercury Ordering Calypso to Release Odysseus c.1680 Oil on canvas, 132 x 96 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam During his wanderings, Odysseus encounters the nymph Calypso, who falls in love with him and holds him captive on her island.…

Odysseus and Calypso (c.1680)

Lairesse, Gérard de (1641-1711) Odysseus and Calypso c.1680 Oil on canvas, 125 x 94 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam The Greek poet Homer recounts how the heroic warrior Odysseus found refuge on the island of the nymph Calypso. The Trojan War is over:…

Selene and Endymion (c.1680)

Lairesse, Gérard de (1641-1711) Selene and Endymion c.1680 Oil on canvas, 177 x 118.5 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam The chaste goddess of the moon, Selene (or Diana), is in love with the shepherd Endymion. Only at night when he is asleep does…

Cleopatra’s Banquet (1675-1680)

Lairesse, Gérard de (1641-1711) Cleopatra’s Banquet c.1675–1680 Oil on canvas, 74 x 95.5 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam Cleopatra made a bet with Mark Antony on who could give the most lavish banquet. She won by dissolving a priceless pearl in vinegar and…

Anatomia Humani Corporis (1690)

Bidloo, Govert (1649-1713), anatomist, and Lairesse, Gérard de (1641-1711), artist Anatomia Humani Corporis (Ontleding des menschelyken lichaams) 1690 Copperplate engraving with etching National Library of Medicine, Bethesda

Apollo and Aurora (1671)

Lairesse, Gérard de (1641-1711) Apollo and Aurora 1671 Oil on canvas, 204.5 x 193.4 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Largely forgotten today, De Lairesse was celebrated in his lifetime as a painter and advocate for an idealizing manner based…