The death of Alcestis, oil on canvas, 96 x 106 cm, framed

Provenance:
French private collection.

We are grateful to M. Udolpho van de Sandt, author of the catalogue raisonné of the works of Peyron, who has confirmed that this painting is a copy in the artist’s hand of a painting executed in 1794, now held by the North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh. This in turn is a variant of a large-format painting in the Louvre, Paris.

Peyron, who was firstly a pupil of the drawing school in Aix-en-Provence and then of Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée dit l’Aîné in Paris, was awarded the Académie’s grand prix for painting in 1773 in preference to his co-competitor, Jacques-Louis David. In 1775 he moved to Rome as a scholar of the Académie. Peyron’s stay in Rome was extended several times thanks to his sponsor, the Comte d’Angiviller, Directeur des bâtiments du roi. The works executed at this time clearly exhibit the influence of Poussin. From 1782 onwards, Peyron lived in Paris again. One year later, he won the Académie’s agréé. In 1785 he exhibited La mort d’Alceste, his entry piece for the Academy at the Paris Salon (today in the collection of the Louvre). His competitor, David showed his Oath of Horatio, with which he triumphed. At around this time, Peyron, who was still sponsored by the Comte d’Angiviller, became Inspecteur Général of the Gobelin manufactory. In 1787 he was accepted into the Académie. In this year, he exhibited at the Salon with the Death of Socrates. Alongside his painting, hung David’s depiction of the same theme, which was preferred by the public to Peyron’s work. In 1792, Peyron lost his post at the Gobelin manufactory and he moved into an official residence at the Louvre. From this time onwards, his painterly output decreased and he transferred his attentions to book illustration. On his death in 1814, his old rival, David said at his graveside, “Peyron m’a ouvert les yeux...”

In this painting, Peyron is depicting an event from Greek mythology, presented by Euripides in one of his tragedies. Alcestis, daughter of King Pelias, had so many suitors, that her father had to announce that the man, who would win his daughter, would be he who succeeded in tying a boar and a lion to the wedding chariot. Admetos succeeded in doing so with the help of Apollo, who was obliged to serve him at the behest of Zeus, in order to atone for a misdeed. However, Admetos failed to thank the goddess, Artemis with a sacrificial offering for his success. The offended goddess then sent a snake into the bridal chamber, which was an allusion to the approaching death of Admetos. Whilst Apollo did succeed in extracting a promise from the goddess of fate, that Admetos would live, if someone else went to their death in his stead, no-one could be found who was prepared to undertake the noble deed. In the end, his young wife, Alcestis sacrificed herself for him. After her death, her inconsolable husband received a visit from Hercules, who offered to rescue his dead wife in thanks for his hospitality. The hero did, indeed, manage to talk round the God of the Underworld, Hades to return Alcestis to her husband unharmed. This was a dramatic story, dominated by sentiment, which was also depicted by Peyron’s contemporary Angelika Kauffmann in 1790 (painting today in the collection of the Vorarlberger Landesmuseum, Bregenz).