The Signs of the Zodiac is a series of twelve allegorical paintings of the signs of the Zodiac, originally painted around 1640 by Jacob Jordaens and bought by the French Senate in 1802 for the ceiling of the East Gallery of the Palais du Luxembourg in Paris. The paintings represent the signs of the zodiac through stories from Greek and Roman mythology.
History of the series
Jordaens originally created the series for his luxurious Antwerp mansion, where it adorned two rooms located at the back. The journey of the twelve paintings after the painter's death is not entirely clear. They seem to have been in Germany, until they reappeared with the Paris painting dealer Langlier. Here they were seen in 1802 by Baraguey, the assistant of the architect Chalgrin, who was in charge of the installation of the Senate in the Palais du Luxembourg. He immediately grasped the exceptional interest of these canvases "with a ceiling perspective" and recommended to buy them for the Palais de Luxembourg. The French Senate ordered the acquisition of the series, which was then acquired for the price of 4,500 gold francs.
The twelve canvases were mounted on the vault of the East Gallery, which at the time housed the museum of painting open to the public. It was necessary to settle some critical issues, in particular that of the direction of the reading of the Zodiac. During the French Revolution a new calendar had been introduced in France. The question thus arose as to whether the paintings should be installed according to the traditional astronomical order by starting with Aries or in accordance with the new calendar by making the solar year begin at the end of September with Libra. Another question was whether the Zodiac series should start from north to south (i.e. in the direction of the visit to the museum, the public entrance of which was on rue de Vaugirard), or, on the contrary, from south to north, i.e. beginning with the rooms assigned to the senators. The first option prevailed, so that the final panel of the series was the sign of the Virgin, just above the door to the eastern landing. Today the Palais du Luxembourg houses the Musée du Luxembourg and the East Gallery is the museum’s library annex. The East Gallery is accessed from the corridor on the east landing so that it appears that, in contrast to all known calendars, the Zodiac starts on August 22 (the sign of the Virgin).
The 12 works were marouflaged on the ceiling of the East Gallery and in the center was added a painting of Aurora by Antoine-François Callet.
Description and meaning
The paintings represent the signs of the zodiac through stories from Greek and Roman mythology.
A woman, crowned with fruit, holds in one hand a cornucopia filled with grapes, symbolizing the month of the grape harvest. In the other hand she holds a balance, a reference to the return of the equality of days and nights at the time of the autumnal equinox on 22 September.
This panel shows a bacchanal or feast of Bacchus. A young satyr is carrying on his shoulders the drunk Silenus who is holding up a bunch of grapes in one hand. The pair are crowned with vine branches. A bacchante follows them while playing a tambourine. The bacchanal symbolizes that in this month the wine growers rejoice and relax from their work by tasting the fruits of their harvest. The scorpion in the border alludes to the malignity of the diseases caused by the humid winds, charged with dangerous vapors, which are felt in this month.
The centaur Nessus kidnaps Deianira, the wife of Hercules, and crosses the river Evinos. The centaur, armed with arrows, symbolizes that November, when the earth is covered with frost, is a good period for hunting.
The nymph Adrasteia milks the goat Amalthea, to give the milk to the child Zeus. Zeus is near her holding a cup. The goat is a symbol for the sun which seems to be always rising in December, just like a wild goat always likes to climb up the steep rocks.
A young man, in the middle of the clouds, pours torrents of water on the earth. He symbolizes the rainy season.
Venus and her son Cupid armed with his bow, carried by fish, are moving across the waters that the winds are agitating with violence. Venus and her son are trying to hold the light draperies that cover them. The agitation of the sea and the fish symbolize that February is the month of strong winds and good fishing.