Allegory of Time (Chronos and Eros)

1630 · Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome

mythological

The two paintings (Allegory of Time; Alexander the Great before the Tomb of Achilles), similar in size, were probably originally part of a larger cycle, to which a third canvas of Saul and Endor the Magus also must have belonged. These complicated subjects are not always readily comprehensible to modern scholars. After an initial artistic training in southern Germany, Schönfeld came to Rome in 1633.

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About the Artist

Johann Heinrich Schönfeld

1609 – 1683

German painter and etcher. His early career is not well documented; he spent about a decade in Italy (mainly Rome and Naples) as a young man, but it is only after he settled in Augsburg in 1652 that his development can be traced through dated works. He was versatile and prolific, painting historical and genre subjects as well as many altarpieces for churches in southern Germany. His style was lively and eclectic, drawing on various Italian influences, in his delicate colouring and lightness of touch he anticipates elements of German Rococo art.

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