The Early Deceased Sister of Ferdinand Scheidt as an Ascending Psyche, 1809
Oil on canvas
Dimensions without frame134 × 103 cm
Dimensions with frame163 × 133 × 11 cm
Status
on display, room 010.2 About the workTwo-year-old Ida Scheidt from Kettwig died of epilepsy just two weeks after her brother, who was four years older. Thanks to the father’s success in the textile industry the family was wealthy. The young painter Peter Cornelius, later director of the Düsseldorf Art Academy, was commissioned to create Ida’s memorial picture. He combined the portrait with a depiction of the Greek goddess Psyche with butterfly wings, which was popular at the time. After a deathlike sleep, Psyche was welcomed to Mount Olympus – the home of the gods – and thus became immortal.
AccessionGift 1883
Provenance[...]; 1883 erworben durch Schenkung von Kommerzienrat Scheidt, Kettwig
Inventory numberM 4061