The Capture of the Golden Fleece

This is the third of the series of seven illustrations of the story of Jason made by Jean-François de Troy as sketches for cartoons for the Gobelins tapestry works in Paris. The Gallery also owns the first sketch from the series: Jason swearing Eternal Affection to Medea. The sketches reveal the incredible ease and freedom with which de Troy worked on this small scale.De Troy used the Roman poet Ovid’s Metamorphoses (Book VII) as the source of the story of Jason for the first five scenes in the series. Jason and his crew of Argonauts have been sent on a quest by King Pelias of Iolcus in Thessaly to capture the Golden Fleece so that Jason may take his rightful place on the throne. The Golden Fleece – the golden wool of a winged ram – was a symbol of kingship which was heavily guarded in Colchis, on the Black Sea.Jason arrives in Colchis on board his ship, the Argo. The enchantress Medea, daughter of the king of Colchis, falls in love with him and decides to help him in his quest to capture the Golden Fleece. She agrees to let him use her magic if he promises to marry her. In the first sketch of de Troy’s series, Jason swearing Eternal Affection to Medea, we see her giving her magic herbs to Jason in return for his promise to make her his wife. In the second scene of the series, Jason tames two fire-breathing bulls and yokes them to a plough – a task he must complete to win the Golden Fleece.In this, the third scene, Jason has used Medea’s magic to put to sleep the dragon guarding the Golden Fleece. He pulls the fleece down from the tree where it is tied. Medea looks up at the Fleece and gestures in wonder towards Jason and the slumbering dragon. Some of the Argonauts admiringly watch Jason grabbing the Fleece, while others direct the loading of the Argo ready for the triumphant departure of Jason and Medea.De Troy seems to have had two prints in mind when devising his own composition: Sébastien Leclerc’s Jason with the Dead Dragon and Charles Audran’s engraving after a drawing by Pietro da Cortona, from which the pose of Jason appears to be derived (both prints are now in The British Museum, London). He made several changes between his sketch of this scene and its related cartoon (Musée d'art Roger-Quilliot, Clermont-Ferrand), perhaps reflecting changes requested by Philibert Orry, who had commissioned the series on behalf of the French king. In the cartoon, Medea’s pose is more commanding and self-assured, the relative size of the dragon is reduced and Jason heroically cuts down the Golden Fleece with his sword rather than pulling it down from the branch. De Troy also changed the costumes of Jason and Medea to match the colours of those in Jason swearing Eternal Affection to Medea. These colours were then retained throughout the series for decorative continuity and to make the principal characters easier to spot in crowded compositions.