English: A drawing of a Pompeii fresco depicting Narcissus gazing at his own reflection found in a modest structure behind the building erected by Eumachia by Henri Roux Ainé, 1870. Translated related text: This painting, pendant to the preceding one, but much less worthy of praise, represents Narcissus, who, tired of the hunt, comes to seek rest in a deserted valley, on the edge of a stream whose crystal waves flow together, clearing a passage between the rocks. The unhappy young man, seated on one of the banks of the water, his arm leaning on the other bank, sees his image reflected in the liquid mirror. Struck by his own beauty, he becomes enamored with it, and soon he will die victim of a passion that nothing can satisfy. A striking allegory of the dangers of self-love, and above all of a very stupid kind of self-love, the physical love of oneself; after this ridicule, we know only one more absurd and stranger still, ridiculousness which was not known in primitive times, but which was reserved for Athens and Rome, as well as for modern Europe. It is the love a man conceives, no longer for his face or his body, but for his clothes. Narcissus does not yet go that far: he is not in love with his violet cloak, his hunter's staff and his crown of foliage with elegant bands; he is in love with his face, which really isn't too bad.

The landscape is treated in a pleasant way; but the drawing contains a rather strange mistake: in the situation where Narcissus is placed, it is impossible for us to see his face repeated so close to him; each point in the image should drop below the water as the object rises above it.

In the vignette, we see on the red background a fluted column streaked with gold, carrying a cubic-shaped object which seems to be a cassette: a palm is attached to it by a green strip, and alludes to another similar strip; against the shaft leans a cimbalom with its ordinary ribbons; and beside it, a golden tripod seems to contain a liqueur, perhaps wine. These are some of the attributes of Bacchus-Osiris, presiding no doubt over certain athletic or dramatic exercises.

Identifier: herculanumetpomp18703barr (find matches)
Title: Herculanum et Pompéi, recueil général des peintures, bronzes, mosaïques, etc., découverts jusqu'à ce jour, et reproduits d'apreès Le antichita di Ercolano, Il Museo borbonico, et tous les ouvrages analogues
Year: 1870 (1870s)
Authors: Barré, Louis, 1799-1857 Roux, H. (Henri), Sr Bouchet, Adolphe
Subjects: Art, Greco-Roman
Publisher: Paris, Firmin Didot frères, fils et cie
Contributing Library: Harold B. Lee Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University

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Text Appearing Before Image:
y appuyant commeelle fait de la main gauche, et en sattachant, pour ainsidire, avec la plante des pieds, à la surface perpendicu-laire qui est au-dessous delle. Son manteau, qui ne luicouvre que les cuisses et les jambes, est jaune, avec unedoublure blanche : bracelets à lhumérus et au poignet,diadème, collier, double écharpe, tous ces ornementssont formés dun ruban dor. LAmour, de lautre côté du cadre, tient une corbeilledestinée sans doute à la proie que saisira sa mère :il semble lui indiquer du geste lendroit le plus favora-ble pour y jeter sa ligne. Lexécution des deux figures répond à ce quil y adingénieuse volupté et de douce malice dans linventiondu sujet. La vignette représente deux vases dargent, dont lunest renversé, et entre lesquels se trouve un disque decuivre : de lautre côté, un bassin de bronze et un an-neau dargent; au fond, dune part, une espèce de pi-lastre supportant une boule, et entouré dune bande- PEINTURES /v;a/&?<e£- 2™^ Série
Text Appearing After Image:
DEUXIÈME SÉRIE. 39 Jette; puis un pieu supportant une sorte de bourse, unedraperie verte et un bâton pastoral. Peut-être a-t-onvoulu représenter des prix accordés au vainqueur danscertains jeux. PLANCHE 111. Cette peinture, pendant de la précédente, mais beau-coup moins digne déloges, représente Narcisse, qui,fatigué de la chasse, vient chercher le repos dans unevallée déserte, sur le bord dun ruisseau dont les flotsde cristal se frayent un passage entre les rochers. Le mal-heureux jeune homme, assis sur lun des bords de leau,le bras appuyé sur lautre rive, voit son image réfléchiedans le miroir liquide. Frappé de sa propre beauté, il endevient épris, et bientôt il mourra victime dune passionque rien ne peut satisfaire. Allégorie frappante des dan-gers de lamour-propre, et surtout dun genre damour-propre bien stupide, lamour physique de soi-même ;après ce ridicule, on nen connaît quun plus absurde etplus étrange encore, ridicule qui ne fut point connu dansles

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