(Rome 1623–1694)
(Breivelde, Ninove circa 1606 - circa 1667 Brussels)
The slaying of Nessus,
oil on canvas, 51.5 x 79 cm, framed

Provenance:
with Galleria Giamblanco, Turin;
Private European collection

Literature:
G. Sestieri, in: Galleria Giamblanco: dipinti antichi. Pittura italiana dal Seicento al Novecento, ed. by A. Cifani, Turin 2013, pp. 24–25

The subject of the present painting derives from Ovid’s Metamorphosis (IX: 101-133) and shows the moment Nessus, the ferryman, attempts to ravish Hercules’ companion Deianira. Hercules then takes up his bow and kills the centaur. The story, set in Arcadia, is consistent with the many mythological subjects interpreted by Filippo Lauri, who was undoubtedly the most adept late seventeenth-century painter in this field, as is demonstrated in the frescoes paintings for palazzo Borghese in Rome, executed around 1661.

There are parallels with the work of Dughet, who he painted alongside as a figure painter in the decorations for Palazzo Borghese, Rome, there appears to be a more intimate connection with the Flemish landscape painters who were active in Rome at the turn of the century, such as Matteo (or Matthijs) and Paul Bril. From the outset of the seventeenth century, Bril’s substantial production exerted a lasting and profound influence over the century and remained clearly visible in the works of Van Bloemen and Van Lint. It appears therefore that in the present painting the author was working in the wake of this tradition, rather than that of Dughet.

After the mid-century Dughet generally served as Lauri’s primary point of reference for the landscape backgrounds of his mythological subjects, which moreover, also reveal Venetian influences derived from Mola. Indeed, in this painting the features of the three protagonists, the Cupid in flight drawing his bow and the group of putti in the bushes, are all typical of Lauri’s style, but they lack the harmony that generally characterises his small canvases for private collections. On account of the differences that are highlighted by these comparisons and the evident influence of the Flemish landscape, there is the possibility of another Flemish participant in this work’s execution, if not its entire authorship. Almost every trace of this Flemish painter has been lost today, despite the fact that he worked in Rome almost his entire life.

The mysterious figure of Louis Cousin, also known as Luigi Gentile or Primo, trained in his native Low Countries and briefly in Paris, and is above-all remembered for his history paintings and portraits. His monogram has also been identified on various small mythological scenes that have appeared on the French art market, and are in perfect alignment with those by Lauri. However, a better suited and more immediate comparison for the rendering of the figures, as well as for a corresponding taste in interpretation and composition, is offered by the painting of Venus mourning Adonis conserved in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.