Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00009177Nymphs and a Satyr (Amor Vincit Omnia)
About the Artwork
Like his colleague Claude Lorrain, Poussin depicted historical and mythological subjects in landscapes inspired by the countryside around Rome. His themes were often complex, and frequently incorporated witty allusions to classical texts. Here, a playful cupid tugs Pan, the goatlegged Greek god of the woods, toward Venus, the goddess of love. The painting cleverly illustrates the Latin phrase amor vincit omnia, or “love conquers all” (in Greek, pan means “all”). The woodland setting represents the idyllic paradise of Pan’s home.
Provenance
Cassiano dal Pozzo (Rome, Italy) to Gabriele dal Pozzo (1695, 1740) Lord Radstock, sold, Christie's, London, May 13, 1826, lot 27) Private collection, sold Phillips, London, 1829) Lord Northwick, Thirlestane House, near Cheltenham, by 1837, sold, Phillips, London, August 24, 1859, lot 1809) J. S. W.S. Erle Drax, Esq., Olantigh Towers, Wye, Kent, sold Christie's,London, February 19 and 21, 1910, lot 105, to Cohen Cohen David Horner, London, by 1925 Durlacher Brothers (London, England), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1926.
Exhibition history
Art of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 9-December 2, 1934). The Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition: The Official Art Exhibit of the Great Lakes Exposition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 26-October 4, 1936). The Silver Jubilee Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 23-September 28, 1941). The Venetian Tradition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (November 8, 1956-January 1, 1957). Our Neighboring Museums. Akron Art Museum, Akron, OH (organizer) (December 1, 1964-January 3, 1965). Baroque Art, Era of Elegance. Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO (organizer) (October 3-November 15, 1971). Man and Nature: A View of the Seventeenth Century. Art Gallery of Hamilton, Hamilton, Canada (organizer) (August 17-September 28, 1980). The First Roman Years of Nicolas Poussin. Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome (November 26, 1998-March 1, 1999). Poussin and Nature. Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, 48011 Bilbao, Spain (October 8, 2007-January 13, 2008); The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (organizer) (February 11-May 11, 2008).
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Nicolas Poussin (French, 1594–1665)
- Date
- c. 1625–27
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Framed: 121 x 152 x 7 cm (47 5/8 x 59 13/16 x 2 3/4 in.); Unframed: 97 x 127.5 cm (38 3/16 x 50 3/16 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- European Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Gift of J. H. Wade
- Accession no.
- 1926.26
More by Nicolas Poussin in museum collections
Open-access museum record · AT-00009177
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