Harvard Art Museums > 2005.159: Aeolus and the Winds Sculpture Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Aeolus and the Winds (Unidentified Artist) , 2005.159,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Nov 13, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/5519. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Gallery Text According to Greek mythology, Aeolus lived on the island Aeolia, identified today with Lipari or Stromboli, north of Sicily. He kept the winds in a cave and released them to help or impede nautical voyages. In this dynamic bronze, Aeolus is shown as a bearded old man with a powerful physique, a type shared with figures such as Neptune and the river gods. He is seated on a rocky pedestal that doubles as the winds’ cave. His hair blown backward and his rippling muscles catching the light, he places a large hand on one of the winds, manipulating it like an instrument; as if in response, the wind puffs out its cheeks. A second wind kneels beneath Aeolus’s foot and grasps the face of a third, shown emerging from or disappearing into the cave. Identification and Creation Object Number 2005.159 People Unidentified Artist Title Aeolus and the Winds Other Titles Alternate Title: River God with Three Putti Classification Sculpture Work Type sculpture Date 1645-1670 Culture Flemish Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/5519 Physical Descriptions Medium Bronze with black-brown patina Technique Cast Dimensions 31.2 x 23 x 17.4 cm (12 5/16 x 9 1/16 x 6 7/8 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History [Bernard Black Gallery, New York] sold; to Richard Sisson, Cuba, NY, 1968, bequest; to Harvard University Art Museums, 2005. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Richard B. Sisson Accession Year 2005 Object Number 2005.159 Division European and American Art Contact am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Publication History Sculpture for a Small Museum-2, auct. cat., Bernard Black Gallery (New York, NY, 1968), no. 15, repr. in b/w Exhibition History Sculpture for a Small Museum-2, Bernard Black Gallery, New York, 01/01/1968 - 12/31/1968 32Q: 2300 Dutch & Flemish, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 09/08/2017 Subjects and Contexts Google Art Project Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu