15
Jacopo Palma Il Vecchio (Serina, 1480 - Venezia, 1528)
Cupid and Venus , 16th century
Oil on panel
H cm 56x45
In this work congenial to Jacopo Palma the Elder, Venus and Cupid abandon themselves to an expression of sublime beauty, intertwining their bodies in a composed embrace. The goddess of love, with her divine majesty, envelops the young Cupid with an affectionate but measured maternal tenderness, while the gaze of both merges in a union that oscillates between desire and complicity. The chromatic tones, nuanced and vibrant with light, reveal the quintessence of amorous ecstasy, the purest, almost sacred form of emotional fullness achievable through love.
A larger-sized depiction of Venus and Cupid is preserved at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. The characters are the same but the poses and sensuality of the more famous work are emphasized, creating a composition that differs from the painting in question. Despite this, it is possible to identify some common elements between the two works attributed to Palma Vecchio, Cupid's arrow, Venus's soft golden hair and the drapery of the fabrics. Furthermore, the physiognomic details of the characters dialogue in a similar way with much more famous works by the artist. The angular nose of the goddess of love and her tapered fingers recall those of the portrait by Francesco Querini preserved at the Pinacoteca Querini Stampalia in Venice.
Very delicate and beautiful painting whose state of conservation is good but, through the observation of the surface with the Wood's lamp, one can notice the various pictorial retouches it has undergone in the past.
ASOR Studio
4.500,00 €
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