Landscape with Pan and Syrinx

The museum has thirteen drawings by Claude Gellée, also known as (le) Lorrain, after the region in which he was born. Claude moved to Italy at an early age and remained there for the rest of his life. He made numerous studies from nature—mostly in the surroundings of his hometown Rome—some of which he subsequently worked up in his studio. He also produced carefully composed drawings of imaginary, idealized landscapes. Claude gained a reputation as a landscape painter and built up an international clientele. To prevent forgeries, he kept track of his paintings by making drawings of each one, marked with the name of the purchaser. He preserved the drawings in an album he called his Liber Veritatis, or Book of Truth, which was later engraved and published. Landscapes are the principal subject of Claude’s works. The biblical or mythological scenes he included in many of them were of secondary importance, as can be seen in this drawing. The Landscape with Pan and Syrinx illustrates an episode from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. It tells the tale of the beautiful, chaste river nymph Syrinx who was pursued on the bank of the River Ladon by Pan, the lecherous god of the woods. Pan can be recognized by his horns and goat’s hoofs. Fleeing from his advances, Syrinx was transformed into reeds, which are shown in the drawing, behind the seated river god. Pan witnesses the metamorphosis and reaches out for the nymph, but finding only reeds in his hands, uses them to fashion the musical pipe that has since become his attribute. [text: Albert Elen]