FRENCH SCHOOL, CIRCA 1822

This work is one of the sketches submitted to the Prix de Rome historical landscape competition circa 1822. In the lower right a contrasigné, a signature on a student's work by their master, is visible. In this case the work is signed by the renowned Romantic painter Antoine-Jean Baron Gros. The sketch depicts the story of Baucis and Philemon, a moralizing fable recorded by Ovid, which teaches the importance of hospitality. Zeus and Hermes came to Baucis and Philemon's village disguised as ordinary peasants, they went from house to house in search of lodging, and were rejected by every home until reaching the humble cottage of Baucis and Philemon, who provided the Gods with food, drink, and a place to stay. Zeus destroyed the town full of inhospitable people but spared Baucis and Philemon who fled with Hermes to a mountain top. From this vantage point they saw Zeus transform their humble cottage into a temple (shown at left), fulfilling their wish to become temple guardians.