After Marcantonio Franceschini, Venus & Cupid, 1730, Oil on Canvas

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Description

Marcantonio Franceschini (Bologna 1648 - 1729) Workshop of

Sleeping Venus with Cupid

Oil on canvas (53 x 68 cm - … Read more Marcantonio Franceschini (Bologna 1648 - 1729) Workshop of

Sleeping Venus with Cupid

Oil on canvas (53 x 68 cm - Framed 71 x 91 cm)

Venus, the Roman goddess of love, is portrayed reclining, completely naked, sleeping languidly, with both arms behind her head. Standing beside her is her son Cupid, the god of desire, who is pointing to something off-camera.

This seductive image is presented to us in a hilly setting, in perfect harmony with nature, and in a restrained, sensual and dreamy atmosphere: her nudity and pose symbolize ideal beauty; she rests on white and red drapes, symbolic colors that respectively indicate the coexistence of pure platonic love (the white sheet covering her pubic area) and passionate love (the red pillow).

This is a highly fascinating work, both for its subject and its pictorial execution, revealing the distinctive characteristics of the Bolognese school, highlighting a quality of draftsmanship and drawing that suggests an 18th-century execution.

The work reveals a Rococo sensibility merging with a careful classicist rigor, while also presenting lexical elements drawn from the early 17th-century culture typical of Domenichino and Francesco Albani. Our painting draws inspiration from a work by the latter, specifically "Adonis Led by Venus to the Cupids," created in 1621 by Albani for the Duke of Mantua (Paris, Musée du Louvre, inv. 12). In our case, the artist has extrapolated the detail of Venus with Cupid (bottom right in the original composition).

Detailing the attribution, we can easily connect the canvas, created in the early 18th century, to the workshop of master Marcantonio Franceschini (Bologna 1648 - 1729), who often engaged with lexical elements drawn from early 17th-century culture, particularly Francesco Albani, achieving a classicist sensibility of the highest refinement.

The pictorial texture, the analysis of forms, the scenic setting, the typology of the faces, and some Morellian details clearly share similarities and parallels with the artist's finest work, who proved to be one of the finest interpreters of Bolognese art between the 17th and 18th centuries.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The painting is sold with a beautiful frame and comes with a certificate of authenticity and an iconographic . This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



issues arising from misattribution See less