Cephalus and Aurora

Follower of Louis Chéron c. 1706
Ceiling of the Fifth State Room
Oil on plaster, 4.62 x 7.85 m

The subject is taken from the work of the seventeenth century Italian poet Chiabrera. Aurora is preceded by Hesperus, the Morning Star. Proserpine, Ceres and Mercury are seen below. The repetition of the figures of Diana and the Cave of Night as seen on the ceiling of the Great Hall reinforces the argument cited in the text that this ceiling was the work of another hand, possibly Chéron's assistant. There are no surviving drawings by Chéron for this composition and there is no mention in the accounts for the preparation of the plaster for painting.

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