A Visit to the Gallery / Pier Celestino Gilardi
Viewer
About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1895.94
- Title
- A Visit to the Gallery
- Artist
- Pier Celestino Gilardi
- Artist Nationality
- Italian
- Artist Life Dates
- 1837 - 1905
- Medium and Support
- oil on canvas
- Object Creation Date
- 1877
- Object Creation Place
- Europe (continent)
- Italy (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- Europe (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Italy (nation)
- Credit Line
- Bequest of Henry C. Lewis
- Inscription
- Inscribed l.l.: P.C. Gilardi / 1877
- Dimensions
- 121.92 cm x 102.55 cm (48 in. x 40 3/8 in.)
- Century
- 19th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Painting
- Physical Description
- Two women on a settee dressed in elegant 19th century attire, one holding a fan and the other a parasol, while another richly clad woman leans in close beside them, in a lavishly decorated interior setting with ornately carved gilded walls, a large mirror above the settee, inlaid marble floor, and large vases to either side of the settee. In the center of the room is a sculpture of the Medici Venus on a pedestal with her back to the viewer, her reflection evident in the mirror. Between the base of the sculpture and the viewer is an elaborately carved gilt stool covered with rich red fabric. Beside the sculpture, another woman holding a book walks towards the cluster of women.
- Subject Matter
- Elegantly dressed women in 19th century attire whisper and titter about the sculpture of Venus de’Medici in the center of the room, depicting the goddess in a fleeting pose as she unsuccessfully attempts to cover her nude body with her arms in a gesture of modesty. Gilardi, who places Venus’s back to the viewer, cleverly reveals her front side reflected in a mirror above a settee upon which the women are seated, enabling the viewer to see both the expressions of the women and what it is they are whispering about, creating a witty commentary on the prudish social mores of 19th century puritanical society.
- Primary Keywords
- candles
- candlestick
- galleries (display spaces)
- groups
- interiors
- mirror
- mirrors
- sculpture
- seated
- standing
- statues
- stone
- stools
- venus
- walking
- women
- Secondary Keywords
- allegory and literature
- building divisions
- candles and candleholders
- components
- components and systems
- components by specific context
- descriptors
- display rooms and spaces
- figures
- furnishings
- furnishings by form or function
- furniture
- genres
- household objects
- inorganic material
- lighting devices
- lighting devices by form
- materials
- materials by composition
- mythology
- objects
- objects we use
- people
- people (agents)
- people and culture
- people and occupations
- people by gender
- reflections
- rock
- rock by form
- roman
- rooms and spaces
- rooms and spaces by function
- sculpture by subject type
- visual works
- visual works by medium or technique
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 992 x 1275
- File Size
- 141 KB
- Record
- 1895.94
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1895.94/1895.94.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
- In public portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1895.94:1895.94.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"A Visit to the Gallery; Pier Celestino Gilardi." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1895.94/1895.94.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 05, 2024.