The discovery and rescue of a lost ,Venus chastising Cupid

Old Master painting, Venus chastising Cupid, inserted
into an eighteenth-century carved rococo timber frame;
circa 1700, Oil on canvas, 75cm x 62.5cm.

THE PAINTING SHOWS THE STRONG IMPACT OF CORREGGIO ANTONIO ALLEGRI the Renaissance artist, 1489 – 1534. Correggio’s work informs the development of subsequent Baroque painting leading, eventually, to the later Neoclassical. Both styles and that of the Carracci school are equally visible in the painting. All these manners of painting lead back, eventually, to the overwhelming influence of Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino 1483 – 1520). The influence gradually waned, until jumping a generation or two,arriving to the late 18th. and, with the Pre-Raphaelites in the English nineteenth century. With the passing of the British Raj in India, the empire left behind a domestic style of architecture, Indo-Saracenic structures with contemporary European styles. The colonial elite until the British withdrew in 1947 maintained their interest in collecting Old Master paintings.  It was a transportable, prestigious and valuable asset.

British civil servants were posted from one government station to another within the empire, from Rajkot to Lucknow and hill station like Naini at the whim of London officials, making possession of paintings a simple and useful movable asset. It is hardly surprising that, Venus Chastising Cupid, was come across, albeit in extremely degraded and in an extreme state of decrepitude from a similar ancient colonial era building.

DETAIL OF THE ORIGINAL CANVASES STATE OF DEGRADATION
Detached ancient original fragmentation of Venus Chastising Cupid. including notable loss of original paint.

When discovered the condition of the degraded canvas was noticeable besides being one step away from being a total loss had, in the nineteenth century, and possibly earlier, been carefully cared for and restored by the owner of the day, before being neglected and abandoned as time passed.

The careful and precise fine-art conservation and restoration that followed allowed us to carry out accurate art history research that revealed the wonderful painting that you can see and appreciate in these revelations.  As our restoration proceeded, the removal of ancient restoration and degradation revealed an old master painting showing the Baroque influence of the earlier Correggio. The painting shows a strong impact of Renaissance artist Correggio, Antonio Allegri , 1489 – 1534.  Correggio’s work informs the development of subsequent Baroque painting leading, eventually, to the later Neoclassical. Both styles and that of the Carracci school are equally visible in the painting. All these manners of painting lead back, eventually, to the overwhelming influence of Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino 1483 – 1520).

Bottom right: revelation of previous centuries of physical
degradation, negative climate intervention and neglect and abuse
of the original canvas and its paint layer.

The influence gradually waned, until jumping a generation or two to the late 18th. and, with the Pre-Raphaelites in the English nineteenth century.

NOTES AND EPHEMERA
VARIATIONS ON A THEME POPULAR WITH ESTABLISHED MASTERS IN THE HIGH RENAISSANCE.

Cupid was born at the beginning of creation and time. In Roman Mythology, Cupid (Latin Cupido, is often shown as the son of Venus/Aphrodite. She is chastising him for falling in love with the mortal Psyche.

If you need an appraisal of your old painting, contact Matthew Moss at, Free Paintings Evaluation.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Restored Paintings: catalogue of restored paintings in the National gallery of Ireland, 2nd. edition (1971)
Catalogue of restored paintings: Victorian Conservation, Australia, (1977 and 1978)
Caring for Old Master Paintings, 0-7165-2531-3.
Monaco Mon Amour, 0-943884-01-2
Les Aventures de Rembrandt, 0-943884-04-7
https://www.academia.edu/31048895/ARTEMISIA_GENTILESCHI_-_1593-1653
young mother breastfeeds her infant..18-2-2017

Moss, Matthew , Forum des Artistes de Monaco, Direction des Affaires Culturelles – Gouvernement Princier, Principauté de Monaco – Juin 2018
Moss, Matthew. – /en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemisia_Gentileschi – This page was last edited on 28 July 2018, at 12:03 (UTC).