The story of Aurora and Cephalus is from the famous poem, “Metamorphoses,” composed by the renowned Roman poet Ovid, born in 43 BC.
“Metamorphoses'’ retells stories of the creation and history of the world in the form of ancient Greek and Roman legends, unifying them as a sequence and through a theme of transformations. While it resembles an epic in its format, “Metamorphoses” jumps from story to story instead of following the deeds of a hero. The narrative, originally written in Latin, was translated and well-known during the Middle Ages; thereafter it provided a rich source of subject matter for master artists like Titian and Poussin who favored the classical style.
Another recurring theme of “Metamorphoses” is love. The gods are repeatedly perplexed, humiliated, and made ridiculous by Cupid, the personification of love. Ovid shows how irrational love can be, and how love confounds faculties of pure reason.
In the story of Aurora and Cephalus, Diana, goddess of hunting, gives the huntsman Cephalus a magic dog and a spear. Later, Aurora, goddess of the dawn, falls in love with the mortal Cephalus and tries to seduce him. He thinks only of his beloved wife, Procris, however, and rejects the advances of the goddess. Cephalus’ wife fears that he had been unfaithful and, while he is out hunting with the spear given him by goddess Diana, Procris hides in the woods to spy on him. Mistaking the noise she makes for that of a wild animal, Cephalus chucks his spear and kills her.
A 15th-century Italian play substituted a happier ending in which Diana resurrects Procris and reunites her with Cephalus.
“Aurora and Cephalus”
The work of 17th-century French artist Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) features realism, clarity, order, and strong draftsmanship. Throughout his artistic career he remained uninterested in the popular movement of the French art of his day which he viewed as purely decorative. Instead, Poussin favored the painting style of the Renaissance and references to classical work as the standard of artistic excellence. Until the 20th century, Poussin remained a dominant inspiration for such classically oriented artists as Jacques-Louis David. Such artwork fell out of favor during the 20th century and the ushering-in of modern art.
In his painting “Aurora and Cephalus” (1631) Poussin displays the reason for Cephalus' rejection of the goddess Aurora: in the center of the composition a plump putto is holding up a portrait of his wife
Today the painting can be visited at the National Gallery, London.
Sources:
- Bailey, Colin J. The Art Quiz Book: 2000+ Questions on Painters and Paintings. Station Press: Scotland, 1995.
- Grove Dictionary of Art. Oxford University Press, 2008.
