Noël Hallé (París, 1711 - 1781)
Venus and Cupid
Oil on canvas
70 x 100 cm.
In frame 87 x 118 cm.
Complete details of the artwork (click HERE)
Excellent condition. Artwork complete with a sumptuous frame with shell and volute motifs, which further accentuates its aristocratic elegance.
The enchanting 18th-century painting, depicting Venus with Cupid, captures the essence of French Rococo in every detail, a style famed for its elegance and the delicacy of its themes, often linked to love and mythology.
This is a valuable work, attributable to the French master Noël Hallé (Paris, 1711 - 1781), who conceived this subject, titled "Le Midi," around 1746. The composition, in particular, was part of an allegorical series of overdoors depicting the four moments of the day. They were originally commissioned by the French aristocratic financier Jean-François Gaillard de La Bouëxière to the architect Antoine-Mathieu Le Carpentier - with whom Hallé collaborated frequently - to decorate his villa in Paris.
The iconographic success then came in 1753, when Halle also presented them again at the Salon de Paris: from that moment on, such models were frequently replicated, with different sizes and painting levels. Today, we can find them gathered in public collections or on the antique market. One of these, signed and dated, appeared at a sale at Christie's Monaco on December 7, 1991 (lot 48, https://rkd.nl/imageslite/1024008).
In the center, a splendid Venus reposed on a bed of soft, puffy clouds, which give the ensemble a sense of ethereal lightness, caught in a moment of tenderness as she receives an affectionate kiss from little Cupid, emphasizing the theme of tender love.
Her body follows a soft and sinuous pose, typical of the taste of the era, and the light drapery highlights the grace typical of the classical deities portrayed at that time. On the right, another putto playfully interacts with doves, universal symbols of Venus and peace, which lend dynamism and vitality.
From a stylistic point of view, we are also witnessing a triumph of Rococo canons, a style that masterfully interpreted in painting the peculiarities of French society under the Ancien Régime. Undisputed masters of this period, along with Noël Hallé, we cannot fail to mention the great François Boucher and Jean-Honoré Fragonard, each with their stylistic particularities, bringing the grace and playfulness of Rococo to the highest levels.
Hallé expressed himself with more composed and academic traits, and his figures have a more defined solidity, compared to Boucher, who, instead, focused entirely on sensuality and the richness of decorative details. Regarding the color choice, typical of the painter is the use of a delicate palette, dominated by pastel tones, the pristine white of the clouds, and the rosy complexions of the characters.
The soft lighting seems to make the figures float in the sky, conveying a sense of serenity, where only the celebration of ideal beauty and the joy of life shines through, elements central to aristocratic commissions of the French eighteenth century.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The artwork is sold complete with a frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet.
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