Bidspirit auction | AN OIL ON CANVAS PAINTING

AN OIL ON CANVAS PAINTING OF VENUS, SATYR AND CUPID, ATTR. ANTONIO BALESTRA (1666-1740) - Oil on canvas painting depicting reclining Venus semi-draped in blue and white fabrics. At her side, a winged Cupid hovers, holding a torch against Satyr. This scene was a popular subject in 17th-century Italian and French art. Attributed to Antonio Balestra (1666-1740) or his circle. Balestra was an Italian Rococo painter born in Verona who studied in Venice under the direction of Antonio Bellucci (1654-1726) before entering Carlo Marata's (1625-1713) studio in Rome. He worked both in Venice and in Rome, taking religious and private orders. In 1726, Balestra returned to Verona and founded a painting school which was attended Giambattista Cignaroli, Giuseppe Nogari, Pietro Rotari and Johan Richter. His canvases are in numerous museums and private collections throughout the world. This painting fits perfectly within Balestra's fluid manner of representing the transition between the formal taste of the 17th century and the new Rococo taste that aligns fully with the 18th century. It can be compared to ”The Martyrdom of Saint Cassiano” preserved in the church of the same name in Venice, or with ”Hercules and Omphal”e, sold at Tajan on 12/05/1990, or with ”The Childhood of Jupiter”, sold in Prague on 10/19/2011. Please make all inquiries before bidding. All lots are sold ”as-is”, refer to our T&C. Helios Auctions offers in-house shipping. In case we can not accommodate a shipping request, a list of additional shippers will be provided. Dimensions: 29 1/2 x 41 1/4 in., (74.9 x 104.8 cm.) Condition: Excellent condition. The frame is original. The canvas was relined.