Master Paintings Part II
Master Paintings Part II
Temptation of a Scholar
Auction Closed
February 1, 09:24 PM GMT
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Attributed to Pietro Bellotti
Volciano 1625 - 1700 Gargnano
Temptation of a Scholar
oil on canvas, a tondo
painted surface: 45 ⅛ by 39 ⅛ in.; 114.6 by 99.4 cm.
framed: 53 ½ by 48 ¼ in.; 135.9 by 122.6 cm.
A bearded scholar, his desk piled high with various tomes, rebuffs the advances of a beautiful blonde woman. She has already partially removed her red dress and her embroidered white undergarment has slipped from her left shoulder to bare her breast. The difference between the ascetic life of the mind led by the scholar and the worldly life of pleasure led by the lascivious woman is underscored by the contrast between the figures. He frowns, his face wrinkled and weathered; she has a dewy complexion and rosy cheeks. Similarly disparate is their attire: he wears simple, unadorned garments; she sports gold and pearl jewelry and hair accessories. Such moralizing depictions were cautionary tales to warn diligent men about the dangers of fraternizing with young beauties, who would distract them from life's serious pursuits.