The myth of Aurora and Tithonus centers on the theme of tragic immortality and immortal love. As recounted by Homer—and later (and most poignantly) by Tennyson—Aurora, the goddess of the dawn, fell in love with the mortal Trojan prince Tithonus, son of King Laomedon. The goddess asked Jupiter to make Tithonus immortal so that she could be with him forever, but crucially, she forgot to request that he remain forever young. Tithonus thus aged endlessly, and Aurora was compelled to leave her lover every morning, only to find him older and weaker the next day. Eventually he was transformed into a cicada, which is reborn each year with the song of the spring.  

This tragic tale of love and the pitfalls of immortality is here captured with fresh, expressive brushwork and bold coloration by Giovanni Francesco Romanelli. Romanelli excelled as a painter of mythological scenes, particularly in fresco decoration. Our canvas is a finished modello for such a project—one either never completed or lost. The composition is also recorded in a preparatory sketch by the artist that was formerly on the Roman art market. In his treatment of the subject, Romanelli depicts the youthful and flower-adorned Aurora taking flight to bring forth dawn. She is surrounded by putti—one at the top left carrying the light of the morning—and by three winged women at the right, the Horae, who represent the changing seasons. The aged Tithonus reclines on a cloud at the bottom of the composition. He lifts a blue drapery as if he has just awakened while a putto dozes at his feet, signifying the end of night. Our painting is roughly contemporary with Romanelli’s magnificent frescoes in the Mazarin Library of 1646–1647, later incorporated into the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris.

More Information