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Diam. 41,5 cm
Oil on canvas


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Allegories of Love (I)

The subject
The subjects depicted in these round canvases are four allegories of love with the tiny ‘putti’ shown in almost playful positions and characterized by the classical iconographic elements of love: a torch that is a symbol of victory, and bow and arrows.


The painting

The work, which came from a private European collection, can be dated to the first half of the 18th century and is attributed to a follower of the French Rococo painter, François Boucher.

An artist of elegant taste from the court of Louis XV, Boucher found an important and influential protector and customer in the Marquise de Pompadour, as she was the favourite of the monarch. The painter reciprocated this benevolent attitude by painting her numerous times in various poses and costumes.

His experience travelling throughout Europe, and Italy in particular, was fundamental to his artistic training; his images aim to represent eroticism and beauty characterized by a strong spontaneity that was most successful in indoor scenes, in bourgeoisie rooms, alcoves and boudoirs, where the artist managed to capture small moments in daily life, intimate elements and secrets, always tossing in a subtle element of voyeurism.