Lot No. 255


Battista dell’Angolo del Moro


Battista dell’Angolo del Moro - Old Master Paintings II

(Verona circa 1514–1574 Venice)
Mars and Venus with Cupid,
oil on canvas, 119.5 x 205.3 cm, framed

Provenance:
Palazzo Papafava, Venice;
Sir James Wright, by whom offered to the 3rd Earl of Bute in 1767 (as Titian);
sold to Sir James Lowther Bt., later 1st Earl of Lowther (1736–1802);
by inheritance to his cousin and heir William, 2nd Viscount Lowther and subsequently 1st Earl of Lonsdale of the second creation;
thence by descent at Lowther Castle until sold 1947 (as Titian);
sale, Christie’s, London, 15 December 1950, lot 119 (as Titian, unsold);
sale, Christie’s, London, 11 December 1987, lot 155 (as Property of a lady, as Battista del Moro);
with Algranti-Semenzato, Italy, March 1988 (?);
Private collection, Italy;
art market, London;
where acquired by the present owner

We are grateful to Bernard Aikema for confirming the attribution to Battista del Moro after examination of the present painting in the original.

Reclining beneath a vermillion red curtain in an intimate setting lies Venus the goddess of love, beauty and fertility. There are no doubts as to her beauty, affectionate nature or fertility since the artist has painted her with all the typical Renaissance attributes of the ideal woman (fair hair, pale skin and a vigorous, sculptural figure); moreover, he has surrounded the divinity with the two figures that represent the varied natures of love (sensual and maternal). Indeed, on the left Mars the god of war is represented wearing a helmet, armour, a shield and sword: he represents an adulterous affair of the goddesses who had been given in marriage by Jove to Vulcan, god of fire and blacksmith. On the right, meanwhile, is Cupid born of the union between Venus and Mars.

The present painting was considered to be a work by Titian, celebrated for his interpretations of the loves of Venus and mythological subjects. The work was subsequently given to Battista d’Angolo called del Moro. Del Moro was a fresco painter, easel painter, draughtsman and engraver; the chronology of his life remains uncertain, especially during the final decade of his career.

The moniker ‘del Moro’ derives from his father-in-law and presumed (first) master, the painter Francesco India, called ‘il Torbido’ or ‘il Moro’ with whom he is occasionally confused. It is unknown whether the artist learned the rudiments of painting from his father (by whom no works are known) however it is certain that from 1534 he collaborated with Francesco India called ‘il Torbido’, and that his activity was subordinate to that of the elder master. Indeed, his early years reveal only minor commissions such as his participation in frescoes in the cathedral of Verona following cartoons by Giulio Romano. The young artist revealed a decisive stylistic orientation towards Mantua: poised between the styles of Giulio Romano and Primaticcio. Subsequently he added to these the influence of Parmigianino, whose works were likely known to him through the master’s drawings that were widely circulated in the Veneto at the time.

When his master Francesco India departed for Venice in 1546 del Moro executed numerous works autonomously, among them frescoes, the Alighieri altarpiece for San Fermo in Verona of the Madonna and Child with four Saints and in 1552 the Magdalene for Mantua cathedral. In 1556 he also moved to Venice where he lived for about a decade alternating between Venice and Verona where he continued to work. During the final two decades of his career del Moro had the opportunity to study the works of Paolo Veronese and Giovanni Battista Zelotti, and likely became well acquainted with the engravings of Domenico Campagnola (indeed it is possible that his ‘Titianism’ was mediated by this artist who was active in Padua until 1564). During the 1550s he notably collaborated with Zelotti at the Villa Godi-Malinverni in Lonigo.

The present work can be dated to between about 1555 and 1560 and is an example of the artist’s production between Verona and Venice, whilst still profoundly influenced by the work of Giulio Romano and Parmigianino, as well as revealing an engaged interest in Giulio Campagnola and Titian. Indeed, the figures of Mars and Venus in the present work are especially close to those in the Alighieri altarpiece for San Fermo in Verona from circa 1547: their features and their sculptural figures are comparable. The god of war’s engraved shield recalls one depicted in an elegantly modelled drawing by Parmigianino, while the subject is reminiscent of the bucolic world of Campagnola’s prints and the paintings of Venus by Titian.

22.10.2019 - 18:30

Realized price: **
EUR 37,800.-
Estimate:
EUR 30,000.- to EUR 40,000.-

Battista dell’Angolo del Moro


(Verona circa 1514–1574 Venice)
Mars and Venus with Cupid,
oil on canvas, 119.5 x 205.3 cm, framed

Provenance:
Palazzo Papafava, Venice;
Sir James Wright, by whom offered to the 3rd Earl of Bute in 1767 (as Titian);
sold to Sir James Lowther Bt., later 1st Earl of Lowther (1736–1802);
by inheritance to his cousin and heir William, 2nd Viscount Lowther and subsequently 1st Earl of Lonsdale of the second creation;
thence by descent at Lowther Castle until sold 1947 (as Titian);
sale, Christie’s, London, 15 December 1950, lot 119 (as Titian, unsold);
sale, Christie’s, London, 11 December 1987, lot 155 (as Property of a lady, as Battista del Moro);
with Algranti-Semenzato, Italy, March 1988 (?);
Private collection, Italy;
art market, London;
where acquired by the present owner

We are grateful to Bernard Aikema for confirming the attribution to Battista del Moro after examination of the present painting in the original.

Reclining beneath a vermillion red curtain in an intimate setting lies Venus the goddess of love, beauty and fertility. There are no doubts as to her beauty, affectionate nature or fertility since the artist has painted her with all the typical Renaissance attributes of the ideal woman (fair hair, pale skin and a vigorous, sculptural figure); moreover, he has surrounded the divinity with the two figures that represent the varied natures of love (sensual and maternal). Indeed, on the left Mars the god of war is represented wearing a helmet, armour, a shield and sword: he represents an adulterous affair of the goddesses who had been given in marriage by Jove to Vulcan, god of fire and blacksmith. On the right, meanwhile, is Cupid born of the union between Venus and Mars.

The present painting was considered to be a work by Titian, celebrated for his interpretations of the loves of Venus and mythological subjects. The work was subsequently given to Battista d’Angolo called del Moro. Del Moro was a fresco painter, easel painter, draughtsman and engraver; the chronology of his life remains uncertain, especially during the final decade of his career.

The moniker ‘del Moro’ derives from his father-in-law and presumed (first) master, the painter Francesco India, called ‘il Torbido’ or ‘il Moro’ with whom he is occasionally confused. It is unknown whether the artist learned the rudiments of painting from his father (by whom no works are known) however it is certain that from 1534 he collaborated with Francesco India called ‘il Torbido’, and that his activity was subordinate to that of the elder master. Indeed, his early years reveal only minor commissions such as his participation in frescoes in the cathedral of Verona following cartoons by Giulio Romano. The young artist revealed a decisive stylistic orientation towards Mantua: poised between the styles of Giulio Romano and Primaticcio. Subsequently he added to these the influence of Parmigianino, whose works were likely known to him through the master’s drawings that were widely circulated in the Veneto at the time.

When his master Francesco India departed for Venice in 1546 del Moro executed numerous works autonomously, among them frescoes, the Alighieri altarpiece for San Fermo in Verona of the Madonna and Child with four Saints and in 1552 the Magdalene for Mantua cathedral. In 1556 he also moved to Venice where he lived for about a decade alternating between Venice and Verona where he continued to work. During the final two decades of his career del Moro had the opportunity to study the works of Paolo Veronese and Giovanni Battista Zelotti, and likely became well acquainted with the engravings of Domenico Campagnola (indeed it is possible that his ‘Titianism’ was mediated by this artist who was active in Padua until 1564). During the 1550s he notably collaborated with Zelotti at the Villa Godi-Malinverni in Lonigo.

The present work can be dated to between about 1555 and 1560 and is an example of the artist’s production between Verona and Venice, whilst still profoundly influenced by the work of Giulio Romano and Parmigianino, as well as revealing an engaged interest in Giulio Campagnola and Titian. Indeed, the figures of Mars and Venus in the present work are especially close to those in the Alighieri altarpiece for San Fermo in Verona from circa 1547: their features and their sculptural figures are comparable. The god of war’s engraved shield recalls one depicted in an elegantly modelled drawing by Parmigianino, while the subject is reminiscent of the bucolic world of Campagnola’s prints and the paintings of Venus by Titian.


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Auction: Old Master Paintings II
Auction type: Saleroom auction
Date: 22.10.2019 - 18:30
Location: Vienna | Palais Dorotheum
Exhibition: 12.10. - 22.10.2019


** Purchase price incl. charges and taxes

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