Cleveland Museum of Art

Nymphs and a Satyr (Amor Vincit Omnia)

Nicolas PoussinLinkedCulture matchlcp-7354b59d2923

Date: c. 1625–27
Medium: oil on canvas
Culture: France, 17th century
Department: European Painting and Sculpture
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art
Object ID: 108555

From the Cleveland Museum of Art record

Like his colleague Claude Lorrain, Poussin depicted historical and mythological subjects in landscapes inspired by the countryside around Rome. His themes were often complex, and frequently incorporated witty allusions to classical texts. Here, a playful cupid tugs Pan, the goatlegged Greek god of the woods, toward Venus, the goddess of love. The painting cleverly illustrates the Latin phrase amor vincit omnia, or “love conquers all” (in Greek, pan means “all”). The woodland setting represents the idyllic paradise of Pan’s home. After arriving in Rome and experiencing financial instability, Nicolas Poussin turned to painting more popular, lucrative mythological scenes, such as those depicting nymphs and satyrs.

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Provenance & credit

As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.

Credit line: Gift of J. H. Wade
Provenance: Cassiano dal Pozzo (Rome, Italy) to Gabriele dal Pozzo (1695, 1740) | Lord Radstock, sold, Christie's, London, May 13, 1826, lot 27) | Private collection, sold Phillips, London, 1829) | Lord Northwick, Thirlestane House, near Cheltenham, by 1837, sold, Phillips, London, August 24, 1859, lot 1809) | J. S. W.S. Erle Drax, Esq., Olantigh Towers, Wye, Kent, sold Christie's,London, February 19 and 21, 1910, lot 105, to Cohen | Cohen | David Horner, London, by 1925 | Durlacher Brothers (London, England), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1926.

Related across collections

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Cupid and Pan

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Love Conquers All (Omnia vincit Amor), in a struggle with a satyr Amor places his right knee on its thigh, two nude nymphs are seated with interlocking legs at the base of a tree

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