Mid-18th century, Apollo with allegory of music and zodiac signs

Mid-18th century Apollo with allegory of music and zodiac signs Oil on canvas, cm 62 x 48 With gilded frame of the time, cm 70 x 57 Born in France as an evolution of the late Baroque, the Rococo was a style characterized by the exuberant manifestation of aristocratic life. After the pomp of the set Baroque, the preference of artists and patrons turned towards the depiction of the lightness of aristocratic life, stigmatizing it with a harmonious linearism and fairytale colors, in clear opposition to the bright and heavy tones of the previous period. Even the favorite subjects changed, turning from battle and religious scenes to sentimental images referable to the romantic wealthy life. The present painting, while respecting the formalism of this particular period, proves unique in its kind because of the subject represented: a mythological mix between classic zodiac and allegory of music. Neoclassicism, based on the melodious and archaeological revival of the models of the ancient Greeks and Romans, soon outclassed the Rococo: the present painting collects the distant mirage, when theorists had not yet formulated nor written about this manner. The proto-neoclassical character of the work therefore recognizes it as an intellectual exercise by a cultured admirer or artist, fascinated by the intertwining of meaning typical of ancient myths. Apollo, dressed in a voluminous coral robe, sits at the head of the composition. The golden zither he holds and the light that radiates from his person suggests his leading role of the muses. These, protectors of the arts, flank him with the typical attributes of music: mandolin, tambourine, wind and percussion instruments, while some playful genies animate the remaining clouds. Apollo can also be recognized as the head of astrology, as the son of Zeus and twin of Artemis, personification of the Sun and therefore the movement of the stars. The present painting essentially sums up the various attitudes of Apollo: god of music, moving the chariot of the Sun and guide of the muses.