Giovanni Battista Paggi (Genova 1554 – 1627)

Giovanni Battista Paggi (Genoa 1554 – Genoa 1627) Venus, Bacchus, and Ceres (Alternative Title: 'Sine Cerere et Baccho, friget Venus') Oil on canvas 103 x 78 cm - Framed 125 x 100 cm Details of the work (click HERE) 'Sine Cerere et Baccho, friget Venus' is a Latin quote from a comedy by Terence (2nd century BC), which became a popular Dutch proverb and gave the title to our painting. It literally translates as 'Without Ceres and Bacchus, love grows cold,' and its simplest, naturally ironic level of meaning is that love in its carnal sense needs food and wine to thrive. In art, it became a very popular theme, especially between the 16th and 17th centuries in the Netherlands and in the circle of Mannerist artists at the court of Emperor Rudolf II in Prague, as it offered the combination of a relatively intriguing classical reference and the opportunity to depict abundant nudity. Regardless of its decorative character, this type of painting also had an erotic connotation, not uncommon even in a culture dominated by the restrictions of the Counter-Reformation. In our painting, the seductive Venus, hungry and thirsty, is surrounded by the god Bacchus, wrapped in vine shoots who passes her a grape, and Ceres, with a crown of wheat and a cornucopia full of fruit; even Cupid, by her side, appears hungry as he tries to reach his mother's arm to grab the grape voraciously. In particular, we are faced with a very famous iconographic invention of the painter Abraham Bloemart (c. 1600), which was already popularized at the time by an engraving by Jan Saenredam (1565-1607), then taken up by numerous artists such as J. Saenredam, Joachim von Sandrart, Bartholomäus Spranger. URL: https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/stampe/schede/MZ020-00017/ Also in Italy, especially in the northern part influenced by Flemish instances, the subject was particularly appreciated, as in our case by an author of the Genoese school from the early seventeenth century. Specifically, the painting is attributed to the Genoese Giovanni Battista Paggi (Genoa 1554 – Genoa 1627), who has revived it here with his typical refined style, well-calibrated to the Baroque exuberance. In our case, we find a pleasant union between the typically Genoese manner, the Flemish one, absorbed by the rich community of other northerners active in Genoa, and the Tuscan one, assimilated during his stay in Florence that lasted over a decade. We also find a luminism of Caravaggesque origin that particularly highlights the theatricality of the scene. Author of works with a predominantly religious theme, there is no shortage of splendid realizations of a mythological nature in his collection (cf. Venus in Vulcan's Forge, Private Collection or Venus and Cupid Kissing, D'Arte Banca Carige Collection). ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The painting is sold complete with a pleasant frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet. We handle and organize the transport of the works purchased, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers. If you wish to see this or other works in person, we will be happy to welcome you to our new gallery in Riva del Garda, in Viale Giuseppe Canella 18. We are waiting for you! Contact us for any information or to organize a visit, we will be happy to answer you. Follow us also on: https://www.instagram.com/galleriacastelbarco/?hl=it https://www.facebook.com/galleriacastelbarco/