SOLD HUGE Miniature Portrait Painting, Reclining Nude, Spaniel, 1700s - 1800s - After: VENUS OF URBINO, by Titian

Fine Art : Paintings : Miniature Paintings, Grand Tour

 

VENUS OF URBINO, by Titian, painted in 1538, and in the Uffizzi Gallery of Florence, Italy. Like many miniatures, this is a 1700s to 1800s painting 'apres' or done after the masterwork (copy). From Wikipedia: "The Venus of Urbino (1538) is an oil painting by the Italian master Titian. It depicts a nude young woman, identified with the goddess Venus, reclining on a couch or bed in the sumptuous surroundings of a Renaissance palace. It hangs in the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence. The figure's pose is based on Giorgione's Sleeping Venus (c. 1510), however Titian uses more sensuality in comparison to Giorgione's remoteness. Devoid as it is of any classical or allegorical trappings ('Venus' displays none of the attributes of the goddess she is supposed to represent), the painting is unapologetically sexy. The frankness of Venus' expression is often noted; she stares straight at the viewer, unconcerned with her nudity. In her right hand she holds a posy of flowers whilst her left covers her vulva, provocatively placed in the centre of the composition. In the near background a dog, symbolizing fidelity, is asleep. The painting was commissioned by Guidobaldo II della Rovere, the Duke of Urbino. It would originally have decorated a cassone, a chest traditionally given in Italy as a wedding present. The maids in the background are shown rummaging through a similar chest, apparently in search of the Venus's clothes. Curiously, given its overtly erotic content, the painting was intended as an instructive 'model' for Giulia Varano, the Duke's extremely young bride. The argument for the painting's didacticism was made by the late art historian Rona Goffen in 1997's “Sex, Space, and Social History in Titian’s Venus of Urbino."

The painting is splendid - a very large ivory wafer used for this painting and the colors are vibrant, surely in oil or guache and not in watercolors or aquarelle as is often the case in miniatures on ivory. The frame would appear to be original. The painting has excellent age to it in all aspects, and does have the usual hairline age cracks in the old ivory which is very slightly warped, trying to return to its rounded form rather than remain the flat canvas it was made into. Yes, there is ample symbolism in this painting. The red rose begins to wilt, as will beauty; the dog curled at her feet symbolic of faithfulness, yet, as noted, is asleep; the child in white searching for something in the chest, and the mother or guardian watching over her - rumpled sheets tell the story of this brazen young woman whose womanhood blossoms to ripeness before us here. The sensual nature of the painting is secondary to the symbolism, I think. My Art History is lagging but not my appreciation for this masterpiece in miniature! What a rare treat she is!

Very good condition, age and type considered along with the large size of the ivory. No missing ivory or areas of missing paint, though I have marked and detailed the 2 hairline cracks that do keep her from being excellent. Preserved under glass and in what is surely the original frame, she is worthy of her own place in any fine art display. Stunning! And, as with all of this genre of painting on ivory, the ivory is from elephant tusk. The painting was purchased legally in the USA. Export regulations may require CITES certification if you wish to buy and are not in the USA.

Item ID: 408jivpntng