- 117
Bartolomeo Neroni, called Riccio
Description
- Bartolomeo Neroni, called Riccio
- Reclining Venus with two Amorini
oil on panel
Provenance
Karl Lundmark Collection, Stockholm, by 1977
Literature
Condition
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."
Catalogue Note
The Reclining Venus with two Amorini follows the tradition of panels incorporated into furniture, a fashion widespread in Siena in the mid sixteenth century; given its dimensions, it would appear the present work was intended for the headboard or wings of a bed.1 In a letter dated March 1985, Giuliano Briganti suggests it is an early work by the Sienese artist, Bartolomeo Neroni, called il Riccio. This painting is comparable to Bartolommeo Neroni's Venus at a Mirror, with two Amorini, of similar dimensions (61.7 by 110.1 cm), now in the Palazzo Chigi Saracini, Siena.2 In the present painting the beguiling Venus is placed in a similar pose to that of the Palazzo Chigi Saracini goddess; propped elegantly on her elbow, her torso twisting slightly, she rests on her hip,crossing her left leg over her right. In contrast here, however is the arm crossing her chest to touch the dove, the symbol of love. The gesture serves to divide the of torso, lending the figure a certain gracefulness. Neroni's figures are imbued with a quality of monumentality, the goddess' imposing limbs fill the panel, the muscularity and solidity even of the amorini's rounded flanks displays the style doubtless attained in the studio of Sodoma, his father-in-law and master.3 The dominant presence of Venus, however, is tempered by the fluidity of her gestures and the delicately molded features, the soft mouth and pointed nose bearing the early influence of Beccafumi.
1. F. Sricchia Santoro, Da Sodoma a Marco Pino, Addenda, Siena 1991, p. 57, cat. no. 24.
2. Ibid
3. P. Torriti, La Pinacoteca Nazionale di Siena, i dipinti dal XV al XVIII secolo, Genoa 1978, p.120.