Italian Artist, Hermes Entrusts Dionysus to the Nymphs of Mount Nysa, 1760, Oil on Panel, Framed

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A rare 18th-century Italian painting. Oil on panel artwork depicting a captivating mythological subject, Mercury delivers the infant Bacchus to … Read more A rare 18th-century Italian painting. Oil on panel artwork depicting a captivating mythological subject, Mercury delivers the infant Bacchus to the Nymphs of Mount Nysa. According to myth, Bacchus (or Dionysus to the Greeks) was the son of Jupiter and the mortal Semele. Juno, jealous and vengeful, convinced the woman to ask Jupiter to reveal himself in his divine form. When the god appeared, the young woman was instantly incinerated, but Jupiter managed to save their child, sewing him into his own thigh. Then, to protect him from Juno, he entrusted the child to Mercury, who took him to a distant place where he grew up among the nymphs of Mount Nysa.

Artwork of remarkable pictorial quality attributed to the great painter Fedele Fischetti (1732-1792). Among the most important figures of 18th-century Naples, he is famous for having frescoed the Royal Palace of Caserta. His works are characterized by allegorical subjects or those depicting sacred and mythological scenes with an elegant and refined Rococo sensibility.

The theatrical composition displays all the hallmarks of Fischetti's painting: the dynamism of the figures, the richness of the colors, and the diffused luminosity, enhanced by a precious gold background. (The painting is not currently accompanied by an expert opinion, but one can be requested upon payment of the relevant additional costs.) The painting has already been restored with new parquetry on the back and retouching of the color in small areas. It has some old woodworm holes, now inactive, but is overall in good condition. Internal dimensions: H 68 x W 73 cm. See less