Offered by Antichità Castelbarco
Roman school of the 17th/18th century
The nymph Daphne with Cupid
Oil on canvas 49 x 57 cm Framed 69 x 75 cm
This extremely pleasing and decorative painting depicts a nymph accompanied by the young Cupid, portrayed outdoors near a waterfall, and belongs to the repertoire of late 17th/18th century Roman painting.
The composition of the scene still follows Baroque dictates, with the stylistic and figurative characteristics of the painting evoking echoes of 17th-century Roman painting; the painting is immediately reminiscent of Pietro da Cortona, although the artist's style bears elements of classicist influence.
The subject could well have been inspired by one of the most famous and frequently depicted stories in art, that of Apollo and Daphne, taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses (I, 450-567).
Judging by the pose of the nymph, portrayed with her gaze turned away as if fleeing, it recalls the moment when Daphne flees from Apollo after Cupid has struck him with his arrow, making him fall madly in love with her.
The setting also suggests this subject, as a waterfall flowing into a river can be seen in the background: when she reaches the riverbank, Daphne prays to the river god Peneus, her father, to turn her into a laurel tree so that Apollo will stop pursuing her.
It is therefore likely that this is a painting from a series depicting different moments of the myth, where we see Daphne's escape, while Cupid turns to the viewer to point out the scene with a mocking smile. It could also be a trial painting or sketch for a more complex canvas.
Delevery information :
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Should you have the desire to see this or other works in person, we would be happy to welcome you to our gallery in Riva del Garda, Viale Giuseppe Canella 18, we are always open by appointment only.
