Lot number 3440 - Auction 150
VENUS UND CUPIDO UNTER EINER SÄULENHALLE MIT BLICK AUF EINE BERGIGE LANDSCHAFT IM HINTERGRUND

PARIS BORDONE (ALSO BORDON) 5 July 1500 Treviso - 19 January 1571 Venice VENUS AND CUPID UNDER A COLONNADE, WITH A VIEW OF A MOUNTAINOUS LANDSCAPE BEYOND Oil on canvas (old relined). 98.5 x 84.5 cm (F. 117 x 103 cm). Partially min. old rest., slight old retouching. Frame. The mythologically charged composition shows the goddess of love Venus in intimate interaction with the little Cupid. The gesture of the child nestling against the goddess and the open robes of the female figure emphasise the erotic tension of the scene. A book with love arrows and the deliberately placed golden arrow refer to Venus' symbolic power over love and desire. The background opens up into an Arcadian landscape, while a classicist architectural motif defines the space. The powerful colouring and lively materiality refer to the influence of Titian, with whom Bordone worked in his early years. A similar, almost identical composition shows Flora, the goddess of spring. In this allegorical representation, Bordone depicts the Roman goddess of spring as an idealised female figure with bare breasts, surrounded by floral symbols. She holds a bouquet of flowers in her hand - an attribute of her fertility and the cyclical nature of life. The scene is calm, contemplative and characterised by dignified restraint. The finely crafted drapery and the subtle play of light and shadow on skin and fabric demonstrate Bordone's masterful command of the medium. Stylistically, the work fits into the Venetian tradition of female allegories, which combine physicality and idea into a harmonious whole. Both paintings are outstanding examples of Paris Bordone's artistic work between the High Renaissance and Early Mannerism. They reveal his preference for sensually idealised female figures, his compositional balance and his elegant use of colour. While 'Venus and Cupid' appears narrative and lively, 'Flora' represents an allegorical, introverted visual language - two perspectives on femininity, beauty and myth in 16th-century Venetian painting. (In collaboration with ChatGPT-40, July 2025). Provenance: European private collection. Previously most likely identical to the painting Venus and Cupid sold at Christie's in London on 28 March 1969, no. 14. Previously auctioned by Fleischhauer, Stuttgart. Formerly sold by the King of Württemberg, 27-29 November 1919, no. 31. Previously: Collection of Wilhelm II of Württemberg, Stuttgart (Germany). Another composition of the Venus-Cupid complex, however, without the background landscape as in our painting: most recently in Hearst Castle, San Simeon (CA) (California, United States of America). Inv. 6574. This variant previously: Graupe auction, Berlin, 16-17 April 1935, no. 9. Previously Van Diemen & Co., Berlin (Germany). Previously French private collection. See also: Fredericksen B.B., Handbook of the paintings in the Hearst San Simon State Historical Monument, 1977, no. 41 (Fondazione Federico Zeri, No. 38867). Literature: The painting is documented, illustrated and listed with provenance at: Fondazione Federico Zeri, No. 38865.