Hercules and Omphale, Alessandro Varotari, known as Padovanino (Padua 1588 – Venice 1649) workshop/attributable

Alessandro Varotari, known as the Padovanino (Padua 1588 – Venice 1649)
shop/attributable

Hercules and Omphale

Oil on canvas (109 x 80 cm – Framed 126 x 97 cm)

Full details (click HERE)

In the beautiful work proposed, which illustrates the myth of Hercules and Queen Omphale, we can admire the stylistic characteristics typical of the Venetian school of the early seventeenth century and in particular, the rosy shades of the flesh in proximity to the marked black contours of the figures convincingly bring the work to the hand of Alessandro Varotari, known as Padovanino (Padua 1588-Venice 1648).

The painting, which could easily be placed around the fourth decade of the seventeenth century, still adheres to the tradition of Venetian painting of the late sixteenth century, in a phase of reworking by the artist of Titian's style.

His formal elegance and pictorial softness are exalted in mythological scenes like ours, characterized by sensual and classicizing nudes. In many ways, these representations are anticipatory of those that Sebastiano Ricci and Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini would create a century later.

The painter constructs the scene with great theatricality: the hero's powerful body lies on the ground, surrendered and disarmed, while the beautiful queen, delicately crowned with pearls, expresses all her supremacy while standing and displaying the club given to her by Hercules.

The intriguing iconography is based on an episode from Greek mythology (Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 2.6,3), in which Hercules, the most famous hero of all time and fresh from his legendary twelve labours, was forced by the will of the oracle of Delphi to become the personal slave of the queen of Lydia, Omphale.

From a simple servant, Hercules will then become her lover, thus succumbing to the magic of Eros, who we see depicted between the two: in the painting, Hercules' submission is underlined by the fact that the hero, sitting on the ground, has handed over his club to the queen, which has become the symbolic attribute of his power, while he gives Eros the golden apples of the Hesperides.

Padovanino's late Mannerism is expressed in the complex relationship of tension between the bodies of all the characters involved and we can find it in numerous works by the author, including the Orpheus and Eurydice of the Galleria dell'Accademia in Venice (1), the Rape of Deianira of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Florida (2), and finally the Venus and Adonis by Colnaghi in London (3).

1- https://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/59706/
2- https://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/59734/
3- https://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/59733/

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The work sold is completed by a pleasant antique frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and guarantee.

We take care of and organize the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers.

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