Italian school; second half of the 17th century.

Italian school; second half of the seventeenth century.
"Venus accompanied by cherubs".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Preserves Italian period frame in carved and gilded wood.
Measurements: 37.5 x 32 cm; 56 x 51 cm (frame).
Mythological scene representing Venus suckling Cupid, in the presence of Hephaestus.
On the back it has an inscription in which one can read: "F.Albani", perhaps in allusion to the work of the director Fransco Albani, who was a disciple of the Carraci and inherited from them the interest for the scenes where the landscape of classic and measured character takes the protagonism of the scene. Formally, this work is dominated by the influence of the Roman-Bolognese classicism of the Carracci and their followers, one of the two great currents of the Italian Baroque, together with Caravaggio's naturalism. Thus, the figures are monumental, with idealized faces and serene and balanced gestures, in an idealized representation based on classical canons. Also the rhetoric of the gestures, theatrical and eloquent, clearly baroque, is typical of the Italian classicism of the XVII century. It is also worth mentioning the importance of the chromatic aspect, very thoughtful, intoned and balanced, centered on basic ranges around red, ochre and blue. Also the way of composing the scene, with a circular rhythm and closed on one side while opening to landscape on the other, is typical of this school of baroque classicism. However, despite the dominance of the classic, a certain influence of naturalism can be noticed, especially in the lighting aspect. Thus, the light, although natural, is directed, focusing on the bodies of the young nymphs and leaving the rest in semi-darkness, thus differentiating the different planes of space and focusing the viewer's attention on the scene.