Attributed to Alessandro Gherardini

Anonymous sale ("The Property of a Lady"), London, Christie's, 7 April 1995, lot 206 (as Circle of Luca Giordano);
There acquired by a private collector, Connecticut;
By whom (anonymously) sold, New York, Christie's, 4 June 2014, lot 60 (as Circle of Luca Giordano);
There acquired by the present collector.

The canvas has an old glue relining. There is a horizontal canvas seam that runs through the center of the composition and is slightly visible to the naked eye. Overall the painting reads well and presents a strong and impressive image. The paint surface on the figure of Antiope and the putto is well retained. The background areas were more thinly painted and the brown pigments have sunken and lost some of their definition, such as in the figure of Jupiter and rocks in background landscape. There is an old repair visible to naked eye on her right breast. Examination under UV light reveals very small, scattered retouches throughout and several other larger ones to address old repaired tears or punctures. Some of these include the area already mentioned on her breast; an area on her chin; in the red curtain at center and on Jupiter's shoulder; and along right edge at center. There is also a thin line of retouching along the canvas seam. The painting could be hung in its present state, although some of the older restorations could be re-done to make them less perceptible to the naked eye. Offered in a gilt wood frame.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The composition of this painting is clearly related to a work by Luca Giordano depicting the Sleeping Venus with Cupid and a Satyr in the Museo di Capodimonte, Naples.  That painting, signed and dated 1663, was likely part of a series of works by Giordano, based on mythological themes and subjects from ancient history, that were painted for Andrea d’Avalos, Prince of Montesarchio.  The present work differs from the Capodimonte picture in several respects:  the figure of cupid is not blind-folded, the cup of spilled wine is not depicted at lower left, and there is the addition of a globe encircled by a serpent (probably symbolizing vanity and lust) that appears at lower right under the figure of Antiope.¹

An attribution to the Florentine painter, Alessandro Gherardini, has been suggested for the present painting.  Gherardini would certainly have been aware of Giordano whose work was favored by such Florentine collectors as the del Rosso and Sanminiati families, and Pietro Andrea Andreini.  Giordano himself came to Florence in 1682 and completed several important commissions including the decoration of the cupola of the Corsini chapel in Santa Maria del Carmine, and the gallery of the Palazzo Medici Riccardi.  Though Gherardini was working in northern Italy during Giordano’s sojourn in Florence, he returned to his native city shortly thereafter and the impact of Giordano’s work is apparent in Gheradini’s paintings of this period, such as the Triumph of Faith on the vault of San Jacopo tra i Fossi, Florence, and the Miracle of Saint Nicholas of Bari, in Palazzo Dosi, Pontremoli.  Given the great popularity of Giordano’s work in Florence, it is conceivable that Gherardini knew the composition of Venus with Cupid and a Satyr through other versions or drawings, and presented it in his own idiom.

1.  The globe and serpent appears in another work by Giordano (not part of the d’Avalos series), also depicting the Sleeping Venus with a Cupid and a Satyr in a private collection. In that picture the Satyr holds up a mirror further emphasizing the theme of vanity; see Luca Giordano 1634-1705, exhibition catalogue, Naples 2001, p. 144, cat. no. 34, reproduced.