''Flora and Zephyr'' ( French: ''Flore et Zéphyr'') is a 1875 oil-on-canvas painting by the French artist

William-Adolphe Bouguereau William-Adolphe Bouguereau (; 30 November 1825 – 19 August 1905) was a French Academic art, academic painter. In his realistic genre paintings, he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of Classicism, classical subjects, with a ...

. It is one of the most famous paintings of the Musée des Beaux-Arts of

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; ; Alsatian language, Alsatian: ''Mìlhüsa'' ; , meaning "Mill (grinding), mill house") is a France, French city of the European Collectivity of Alsace (Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region of France). It is near the Fran ...

, France. Its inventory number is D.75.1.50. The circular painting ( tondo) depicts

Zephyr In European tradition, a zephyr is a light wind or a west wind, named after Zephyrus, the Greek god or personification of the west wind. Zephyr may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional characters * Zephyr (comics), in the Marvel Comics univers ...

, the Greek god of the

west wind A west wind is a wind that originates in the west and blows in an eastward direction. Mythology and literature In European tradition, it has usually been considered the mildest and most favorable of the directional winds. In ancient Greek ...

, gently kissing the Greek

nymph A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

Chloris, also known as her Roman equivalent

Flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

, the goddess of flowers. Zephyr has butterfly wings and is completely naked, save for a strategically placed blue veil. Flora's lower half is covered by a red drapery. The painter skilfully enhances the colour contrast not only of the cloths, but also of the complexions. The painting was shown at the Paris Salon of 1875, then at the Mulhouse Salon of 1879, where it was bought for the collection of the ''Société industrielle de Mulhouse'', from which the museum originated. In 2009, it was parodied by the Italian artist Filippo Panseca to display Prime Minister

Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; 29 September 193612 June 2023) was an Italian Media proprietor, media tycoon and politician who served as the prime minister of Italy in three governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a mem ...

and his minister, Mara Carfagna. Instead of delicate butterfly wings, the male was depicted with huge

owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

wings, and his body was changed from slender to stocky. Apart from the head, the appearance of the female was not changed.

References

1875 paintings Paintings in Alsace Mythological paintings by William-Adolphe Bouguereau Paintings of Greek gods Paintings of Flora Oil on canvas paintings Nude paintings of women category:Nude paintings of men Anemoi {{1870s-painting-stub