(Venice 1613–1678 Vicenza)
The Death of Leander; and Bacchus and Ariadne,
oil on canvas, each 84 x 60 cm, framed
a pair (2)

Provenance:
Christie’s, South Kensington, 11 April 2013, lot 124 (as Giulio Carpioni)

The present paintings show classical mythological subjects based on Hesiod and Ovid’s Metamorphosis. One illustrates the story of Hero, a priestess of Aphrodite who lived in a tower in Sestos on the Dardanelles, and Leander from Abydos on the opposite side of the strait. Leander fell in love with Hero and would swim every night across the Hellespont to be with her. Hero would light a lamp at the top of her tower to guide his way. One stormy winter night the breezes blew out Hero’s light, and Leander lost his way and drowned. In the present painting he is brought to land by the Nereids and Naiads.
Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos of Crete, assisted Theseus in his quest to slay the Minotaur, and then fled with him aboard his ship. When they landed on the island of Naxos, Theseus abandoned her as she was sleeping. It was here that the god Dionysus discovered her and made her his wife.
It is difficult to determine exactly why these two subjects were chosen, but it should noted that these cabinet paintings were intended to be enjoyed, but also commented on and discussed in intellectual discourses. The high level of execution and the perfectly balanced compositions show Carpioni at the very pinnacle of his career, emulating all varieties of artistic influences and combining them with his own, highly characteristic elements immediately recognizable, such as the extraordinarily singular facial expressions of his protagonists.

The present pair of paintings were held in a private collection until they recently reappeared on the market. The subsequent conservation reduced the pictures to their original format by removing additions to the upper and lower parts.