The Rape of Europa, Francesco Albani (Bologna 1578 – 1660) Circle of

Francesco Albani (Bologna 1578 – 1660) Circle of
The Abduction of Europa

oil painting on canvas

46 x 63 cm. – with gilded wooden frame (70th century) 85 x XNUMX cm.

COMPLETE DETAILS OF THE WORK (CLICK HERE)

The elegant work proposed stages, through a composition of great dynamic effect, an episode taken from Greek mythology and which tells one of the numerous amorous adventures of Jupiter; it is the Abduction of Europa, daughter of the king of Tyre, a city of Phoenicia, as described by the Latin poet Ovid in his Metamorphoses (Met. II, vv. 846-875).

This is a work attributable to an author adhering to the stylistic and compositional models of the Bolognese Francesco Albani (Bologna 1578 – 1660), presumably active within his close circle still in the XNUMXth century or at most in the early years of the following century.

A disciple of Annibale Carracci, Albani is considered, together with Domenichino and Guido Reni, among the major exponents of Bolognese classicism, which was highly sought after by the cultured patrons of the time. Thanks to a style characterized by idyllic compositions and therefore pleasing to the most intimate taste of the patrons, the major production of Albani's workshop is therefore to be found in mythological paintings.

Going into the detail of the canvas, we see depicted the frantic moment in which Zeus kidnaps the beautiful Phoenician princess Europa, after having transformed himself into a bull, fleeing towards the island of Crete. The girl, dressed in a long deep blue dress, is overwhelmed by the event and turns her gaze towards her maids still on the shore.

She holds on to the horns of the bull, which is running with great force through the rough waves of the sea, while four fluttering cherubs help the cunning Zeus in his enterprise: one supports the princess, another holds the reins of flowers and the last one supports a fluttering red cloth, a device often used by Albani to emphasize the movement.

The composition, in particular, draws inspiration, albeit with variations, from the Rape of Europa, preserved in the Uffizi Gallery, created by Albani in 1639 for Count Angelo Oddi of Perugia (https://it.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rape_of_Europa_-_Francesco_Albani.jpg). Many versions were taken from the Uffizi version, given that the canvas remained in Albani's workshop for a long time, including the one in the Roman collection of the Marquis Patrizio Patrizi, and also the versions in the Louvre and the Colonna Gallery in Rome.

These are compositions that received enormous critical acclaim and were extraordinarily praised by European collectors for their aesthetic and decorative value. In our case, the canvas is accompanied by a pleasant carved and gilded wooden frame from the 19th century.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The work is sold accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and descriptive iconographic card.

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In case of purchase of the work by non-Italian customers it will be necessary to obtain an export permit which requires approximately 10/20 days, our gallery will take care of the entire phase until obtaining it. All costs of this procedure are included.

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