The Rape of Europa - Circle of Paolo De Matteis (Piano Vetrale, 1662 - Naples, 1728) oil on canvas (cm.) 57 x 98 - with gilded wooden frame 77 x 118 cm. FULL DETAILS OF THE PAINTING (CLICK HERE) The beautiful painting offered, attributable to the artistic circle of Paolo De Matteis (Piano Vetrale, 1662 - Naples, 1728), depicts, through a composition of great elegance, an episode from Greek mythology: the abduction of the Phoenician princess Europa by Jupiter, as described by the Latin poet Ovid in his Metamorphoses. This myth was very popular in Roman Baroque painting of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, often commissioned as a subject to decorate the sumptuous private rooms of aristocratic palaces in the city. The work illustrates, in particular, the climactic moment of the story when the King of the gods, having transformed himself into a bull to deceive her, forcibly takes Europa away, fleeing towards the island of Crete, and swims away proudly cleaving the agitated waves of the sea. The princess does not appear terrified but assumes a regal and languid pose, seated on the animal's back while holding onto its horns, crowned with flowers and wrapped in a classical robe. With her left hand, she holds a floral garland, while behind her a large golden drapery swells, catching the wind. A flying putto precedes the couple on the left, tearing through the clouds and holding a lit torch, a symbol of the amorous passion that drove Zeus to perform this act, while two other putti move in the ruffled water, one on the left swimming while looking upwards, and the one on the right flanking the bull's tail, as if escorting and protecting the divine crossing to Crete. On the rocky spur on the right, Europa's three handmaidens watch the scene helplessly, waving their arms and reaching out towards their princess, expressing sorrow and bewilderment at her sudden disappearance. On the left side, beyond the flying putto, the coast ends with a dark rocky promontory. In the distance, along the marine horizon, the blurred profile of a fortified city can be seen, a symbol of the native Phoenicia that Europa is leaving behind forever. The composition and the classicism of the style, enhanced by the brilliant chromatic range, and the pictorial quality appreciated in the painting, are characteristics that support its attribution to Paolo de Matteis, one of the most important painters of the Southern Italian Baroque. A prominent pupil of Luca Giordano, he managed to mediate the master's vigorous Baroque style with a more graceful classicism, thanks to his preference for mythological subjects. Essential to his training was his stay in Rome (between 1682 and 1683) where he deeply assimilated the classicist lesson of Carlo Maratta, a proponent of an idealized classicism influenced by Raphael and Annibale Carracci, which modified his compositional grace and chromatic luminosity with his ordered and rigorous drawing, anticipating the softness and elegance typical of the 18th-century Rococo. Returning our attention to the canvas in question, elements such as the idealized figure of Europa, the theatrical rendering of the waves, and the presence of the three small flying putti are characteristic expressions of his revisitations of the myths from Ovid's Metamorphoses: in our specific case, the composition is indebted to the drawing for the same subject conceived by Maratta (https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Carlo_Maratta_-_The_Rape_of_Europa,_1680-1685.jpg). ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The artwork sold comes with a lovely gilded frame and a certificate of authenticity and guarantee. We handle and organize the transport of purchased artworks, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers. It is also possible to view the painting in our gallery in Riva del Garda; we would be pleased to welcome you and show you our collection of works. Please contact us, without obligation, for any additional information. Follow us also on: INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/galleriacastelbarco/?hl=it FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/galleriacastelbarco/
