Circle of Francesco Albani (Bologna, 1578 – 1660), The Rest of Venus and Vulcan 

Circle of Francesco Albani (Bologna, 1578 – 1660)

The Rest of Venus and Vulcan

Oil on canvas, 72×127 cm

With frame, 90×147 cm

The artist responsible for the execution of this canvas appears capable of interpreting in an original way the suggestions of the art of the ideal master Francesco Albani; the painting is in fact a personal interpretation of the iconographic theme of the Rest of Venus and Vulcan, conceived by Albani and presented in the masterpieces of the Musée du Louvre (inv. MR14) and the Galleria Borghese (inv. 035): Albani was inspired in the conception of this new iconographic typology by a Hellenistic text, rediscovered and translated by the scholars of the early seventeenth century, the Eikones by Philostratus of Lemnos. Venus and her consort Vulcan are softly lying on the grassy ground, while a procession of cupids and putti tinker with the metal artefacts made in the god's forge. The landscape that welcomes the figures is vast and bright; to emphasize the intimacy between the two lovers, in our canvas there is a red cloth with soft drapes, absent in both versions of the subject created by the Bolognese painter.

Francesco Albani was born in Bologna on August 17, 1578. His father was a silk merchant and wanted his son to follow his trade, but Francesco became an apprentice to the Flemish Mannerist painter Denijs Calvaert. In this studio he met Guido Reni, and together they joined the so-called “Accademia degli Incamminati” run by the Carracci family. This studio gave impetus to the careers of many painters of the Bolognese school, including Domenichino and Guercino. In 1600 Albani moved to Rome, where he worked on the frescoes of Palazzo Farnese under the guidance of Annibale Carracci. Albani's stay in Rome lasted sixteen years. During this period he became an independent painter and produced important works such as the frescoes for the Aldobrandini chapel in San Carlo al Corso and several canvases for important Roman families such as the Borghese, the Colonna, the Corsini and the Giustiniani. After the death of his wife, Albani returned to Bologna in 1616 to care for his son. He opened a studio in Bologna, which became very popular. He stayed in Mantua from 1621 to 1622, and in 1623 he returned to Rome for a short time. The last decades of his life were devoted mainly to painting in Bologna, where he died on 4 October 1660. His last work was probably the Rest on the Flight into Egypt (1659–1660), painted for Vittoria de' Medici and now in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. Albani was a prolific and versatile painter, best known for his mythological and religious paintings, characterized by idealized classicism, bright colors, and graceful figures. Some of his most famous works include the Dance of the Cupids, the Rape of Europa, Diana and Actaeon, Salmacis and Hermaphroditus, Galatea, and several versions of the Toilet of Venus. He was also a well-known landscape painter, influenced by the style of Annibale Carracci and Domenichino. His students included Andrea Sacchi, Francesco Mola and Carlo Cignani.