A Male Académie ('The Barque of Charon')

Artist: Pierre Subleyras (French, 1699 - 1749)

Original Dimensions: 53" x 33"

Location: National Gallery of Art, London

About Artwork: (About 1770) "This is a copy after Pierre Subleyras’s Charon ferrying the Souls of the Dead over the River Styx (Louvre, Paris), which was probably painted around 1735. The date of this copy is unknown, but it must have been made before the early nineteenth century, when the canvas was lined, and probably dates from several decades earlier. In Greek mythology, Charon was the boatman of the underworld who ferried the souls of the dead across the River Styx to Hades. The shrouded figures at the feet of the figure here are the spirits of the dead. Subleyras’s depiction of Charon is unusual, as he is shown as a relatively young man, who is also nude, unlike literary descriptions of him. Both Subleyras’s painting and this copy belong to the tradition of the académie. This was the academic study of the male nude in various poses, often with one foot or knee resting on a ledge and the opposite arm raised, typically holding a pole or rope for support." - (National Gallery of Art, London)