Home/Collections/1870–1900/Sketches for the Ceiling of the Grand Staircase of the National Museum of Slovenia
Sketches for the Ceiling of the Grand Staircase of the National Museum of Slovenia
Jurij Šubic was in Paris when, along with his brother, he took over a commission from the Provincial Committee upon the passing of painter Janez Wolf to paint the ceiling inside the Rudolfinum Provincial Museum (today the National Museum of Slovenia and the Natural History Museum of Slovenia). His employers requested the personification of the 4 disciplines that characterized the museum, namely natural science, art, history, and archaeology. Jurij Šubic finished both the sketch and the work itself in Paris, shipping them from there to Ljubljana.
The personifications took the form of exquisite, ethereal female figures in long flowing gowns that remind the viewer of Pompeiian frescoes. They are surrounded by cherubim carrying their attributes in a collaborative scene. The personifications are placed below a deep blue sky, whither ascend and attain the achievements of science and art. Šubic made several sketches of the scene from various angles, with various attributes, and in several different colour schemes, with the same going for the cherubim (NG S 443).
Artist
Jurij Šubic
Year of creation
(1885)
Technique
oil, canvas
Dimensions
45,5 x 69,5 cm
Inventory number
NG S 444, National Gallery of Slovenia, Ljubljana
Collection
1870–1900
