Bénédict Masson (1819-1893) - Leda

\Artist: Bénédict Masson (1819-1893)
Technique: Oil on canvas\Signature: Hand signed\Dimensions: 54_46_4_cm
Bénédict MASSON "Femme tenant un nid d'oiseau" oil on canvas (54 x 46cm) (light restoration) Signed on the top right. Beautiful oil on canvas, certainly representing Leda: Zeus took the form of a swan to seduce Leda, at night, according to Homer. From her love affair with the god, she conceived two children (Helen and Pollux) , who were born in one egg, while Clytemnestra and Castor, children of Tyndareus, were born in another egg A history painter, Bénédict Masson is best known for his mythological compositions (as in this painting) , allegorical subjects, genre scenes, portraits, flowers, and wall compositions. He was a pupil of Paul Chenavart from Lyon and especially of Paul Delaroche to whom he owes his training as a painter of civil and religious history. A regular member of the Salon from 1840 to 1881, he was chosen under the Second Empire to create a large wall composition for the Hôtel des Invalides, illustrating the century of Charlemagne.