French, 'An Allegory', 19th century
About the work
Overview
It has been suggested that this picture shows Attila driving Beauty, Art and Pleasure before him. Attila, who is often known as Attila the Hun, was ruler of the Huns, a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus and Eastern Europe between the fourth and sixth centuries AD.
The painting was formerly attributed to the French Romantic painter Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863), in part because of the mural Attila Tramples Italy and the Arts he painted in the half-dome of the Library of the Chamber of Deputies at the Palais Bourbon, Paris, in which Attila represents philistinism. However, it has a false signature by Delacroix, and is not now thought to be by him.
The picture was severely damaged in a flood at the Tate Gallery in 1928, and much of it is covered by paper to hold the paint in place. Black-and-white photographs taken before the flood damage provide a record of the original composition.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- An Allegory
- Artist
- French
- Date made
- 19th century
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 177 × 137 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Presented by Frédéric Mélé, 1908
- Inventory number
- NG2289
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Martin Davies, with additions and some revisions by Cecil Gould, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: French School: Early 19th Century, Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, etc.’, London 1970; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
-
1957Martin Davies, National Gallery Catalogues: French School, 2nd edn (revised), London 1957
-
1970Davies, Martin, and Cecil Gould, National Gallery Catalogues: French School: Early 19th Century, Impressionists, Post-Impressionists etc., London 1970
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.