Gaspare Diziani
(Belluno 1689 – Venice 1767)
Allegory of Sleep (or of the Night)
19 x 39 cm. - In a precious frame with rococo carvings 37 x 56 cm.
Provenance: Hampel Fine Art Auctions, Munich, 04.072018, Lot 467 estimate € 25,000 - 35,000 (link)
This small jewel of Venetian Rococo painting illustrates a fascinating allegorical composition of Sleep: at the center, a reclining female figure with large wings represents Night (Nyx), one of the primordial deities of Greek mythology, protector of rest.
The woman holds a bunch of poppies in one hand and wears a crown of flowers and seed pods of this plant, a dreamlike symbol which, referring to opium, is associated with deep sleep and Morpheus, as its hypnotic properties induce oblivion, rest, and dreams.
By her side, two small sleeping putti, in a state of complete bodily abandonment, symbolize the soporific effect of the night: one lies asleep in the foreground on a golden drape, while the other, on the right, rests reclining with its head on its arm.
These are the sons of the Night, the twins Hypnos (Sleep) and Thanatos (Death), according to classical mythology the divine personifications of Sleep and peaceful Death (hence the famous Latin phrase: consanguineus lethi sopor, "sleep is brother to death").
The image of sleeping putti was considered in antiquity an allegory of eternal sleep and liberation from earthly labors: the general atmosphere of the work appears soft and languid, created specifically to visually convey the sensation of nocturnal rest and peace.
Of beautiful quality and preservation, the canvas presents characteristics that indicate the Venetian origin of its execution, due to the chromatic exuberance and the liveliness of the brushwork; in particular, the work bears a traditional attribution to the master Gaspare Diziani (Belluno 1689 – Venice 1767), a refined protagonist of the Venetian artistic scene of the eighteenth century.
We recognize his typical use of color, with a palette of vibrant tones, and of soft chiaroscuro, with light distributed effectively to create a beautiful sense of depth and volume. In the chromatic combination, the triad of red, yellow, and blue is reinterpreted here in pastel tones, in line with the late Baroque style.
Having arrived in Venice from Belluno around 1710, Diziani was a student first of Gregorio Lazzarini, the last provincial interpreter of Baroque tenebrism, and then of Sebastiano Ricci, whose teaching was decisive in the formation of a painting rich in substance, chromatic emphasis, and with a strong and nervous brushstroke.
Initially dedicated to theatrical set design, during the second decade his activity took him to Dresden, to the court of Augustus III of Saxony and to Munich. In 1720 his presence in Venice is again documented, but we also know of his presence in various cities in the Veneto, painting works of considerable artistic value, especially in Belluno and Padua.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
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