Anacreon, Jean-Baptiste LePrince

Exhibition Label: "Forms of Thought," Mar-2014, Kris Ercums In this allegorical painting celebrating the pleasures of life, Le Prince depicts the classical Greek poet Anacreon (582 BCE-485 BCE), whose fame derived from his short poems about love and wine. While Anacreon also pondered his graying temples and waning existence, the poet’s old age did not impede his enjoyment of life: “With roses on our heads, we will drink and entertain ourselves...” Here, the poet reclines in peaceful inebriation as an accompanying putto continues to pour wine into his cup. As a result of Anacreon’s overindulgence, two amiable putti help Anacreon carry out his lyrical duties; one guides the poet’s hand and composes his verse while the other plays his lyre. Archive Label 1999: Le Prince's depiction of the classical Greek poet Anacreon is an example of eighteenth-century painting in what was known as the "grand manner." It was probably part of a larger private commission; a possible companion piece with a corresponding subject, the blind poet Homer, is in a private collection in Athens. Anacreon, whose fame derived from his short poems about love and wine, wrote also of his graying temples and waning existence. Yet, his old age did not impede his enjoyment of life: "With roses on our heads, we will drink and entertain ourselves...." Indeed, the poet here reclines in a peaceful inebriation as an accompanying putto continues to pour wine into his cup. As a result of Anacreon's overindulgence, two amiable putti must carry out his lyrical duties-one guides the poet's hand and composes his verse, while the other plays his lyre. Le Prince's Anacreon is an allegorical celebration of the pleasures of life.