Venus and Adonis, Corrado Giaquinto (Naples, 1703 – Naples, 1765)

Corrado Giaquinto (Naples, 1703 – Naples, 1765)

Venus tries to keep Adonis from hunting

Oil painting on canvas
131 x 100 cm. – With important period frame (defects, small losses) 152 x 118 cm.

FULL DETAILS OF THE PAINTING (CLICK HERE)

The proposed work illustrates the myth of Venus and Adonis, one of the most beloved mythological subjects in art, especially in the Baroque era: taken from the poem 'Metamorphoses' by the Latin poet Ovid (X, vv. 525-559), it perfectly embodies the sensitivity of the time for subjects of high emotional intensity, with a perfect combination of strong passions and sensuality combined with an intense dramatic charge.

In our case, the story tells of the passion that blossomed, thanks to an arrow shot by Cupid, between Venus, goddess of beauty and love, and the handsome young mortal hunter Adonis. Despite the goddess's warnings about the dangers of the forest, Adonis nevertheless decides to go hunting, where he is mortally wounded by a boar sent by the god Mars, jealous of their union.

The composition does not show us the tragic epilogue, but instead focuses on the moment preceding it, that is, on Venus's vain attempt to hold back the young hunter before he meets his tragic fate.

A beautiful detail shows the little Cupid portrayed while covering his face with his hand in a sign of despair, as if predicting that the love between the two will soon end: in one hand he holds a lit but inverted torch, a powerful symbol of classical origin, associated with unhappy love and the imminent death of earthly pleasures.

This is a qualitatively important work, attributable to the Italian painter Corrado Giaquinto.
(Naples, 1703 – Naples, 1765), one of the protagonists of eighteenth-century European painting and created, in our opinion, around 1740-1750, therefore in the period of his full maturity.

The canvas is in fact an emblematic synthesis of the master's style in this phase, in which his style draws from the elegance and lightness of the Rococo period, while maintaining the grandeur of the late Italian Baroque, defined by a soft brushstroke that gives the figures an almost ethereal grace.

The scene is characterized by a strong sense of movement and energy, and a marked compositional theatricality inherited from the painter's Neapolitan training, conveyed through the use of a vibrant palette rich in warm, golden tones. The masterful, almost metaphysical use of light, which softly shapes the bodies, combined with the sinuous movement of the figures, are also unmistakable signatures of the artist in this period.

As often found in other compositions by the painter, the pictorial space is conceived as a true theatrical stage, governed by dynamism and emotional emphasis; the scene is framed by an imposing red drape suspended at the top left, partially supported by a Cupid, which emphasizes this concept, framing the action just like an opera set.

The night-time setting, a feature we often see in his works, also plays a crucial role, intended to give the story a further emotional impact and, in our case, to foreshadow danger.

To support our attribution, we can compare the following mythological works by Giaquinto with the proposed painting, in which we can find stylistic and compositional parallels:
Image 1 – C. Giaquinto, Death of Adonis, Villa della Regina, Turin
https://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/66958/
Image 2 – C. Giaquinto, Venus giving weapons to Aeneas, Quirinal Palace, Rome
https://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/66938/
Image 3 – C. Giaquinto, Aeneas and Dido Surprised by the Storm, Quirinal Palace, Rome
https://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/66945/
Image 4 – C. Giaquinto, Ulysses and Diomedes in the Tent of Rhesus, Civic Art Gallery, Bari
https://catalogo.beniculturali.it/detail/HistoricOrArtisticProperty/1600035725
Image 5 – C. Giaquinto, Judith and Holofernes, Provincial Museum Palazzo Argento, Lecce
https://catalogo.beniculturali.it/detail/HistoricOrArtisticProperty/1600165018

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The painting comes with a beautiful gilded frame and a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet.

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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