|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Left picture:
Pompeo Girolamo Batoni (1708–1787)
Hercules at the Crossroads, 1748
Oil on canvas, 99 x 74 cm
Inv. no. G 161
Signed bottom right: P.B. 1748
On the reverse: Batoni
Provenance: probably acquired by Prince Joseph Wenzel I of Liechtenstein
Right picture:
Pompeo Girolamo Batoni (1708–1787)
Venus Presenting Aeneas with Armour Forged by Vulcan, 1748
Oil on canvas, 99 x 74 cm
Inv. no. G 163
Signed bottom right: P.B. 1748
Provenance: probably acquired by Prince Joseph Wenzel I of Liechtenstein |
|
|
|
|
Pompeo Girolamo Batoni
Hercules at the Crossroads, 1748
and
Venus Presenting Aeneas with Armour Forged by Vulcan, 1748
|
|
Hercules at the Crossroads, 1748
Batoni’s painting clearly reflects an intimate knowledge of its literary precursors. His portrayal of Hercules goes back to Prodicus’ story as recorded by Xenophon. The narrative is considered a paradigmatic ethical dilemma. The protagonist, at the crossroads between the two allegorical figures Virtue and Vice, opts for the arduous road of virtue, turning away from a lifestyle of lust and pleasure.
Batoni places Hercules, heroically naked after antique fashion, in the centre of the composition. Putti play with his club and lion skin while two goddesses represent virtue and vice. On Hercules’ right stands Minerva with helmet, shield and spear. Her outstretched arm points to the distant temple of glory at the end of the rocky road. On the left sits Venus at the feet of Hercules. Dice, musical instruments and a mask symbolise the world of amusement.
The figure of Hercules is an essential element in the iconography of power. In the Baroque era this myth frequently served princely self-portrayal. The political dimension of the hero’s ethical dilemma lies in the communication of oppositional principles in the exercise of power.
Batoni probably painted both this picture and its companion piece in response to a commission from Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein, who held his art in great repute.
Venus Presenting Aeneas with Armour Forged by Vulcan, 1748
This painting is the pendant to Hercules at the Crossroads and the composition of both pictures is very similar. Venus now appears in the centre of the scene. According to Virgil’s Aeneas, she offers her mortal son Aeneas the armour Vulcan has forged so as to protect him in the impending, decisive battle against Mezentius.
An engraving by Pietro Testa may have served as the model for the basic layout. Batoni departs from the precursor by adding the capitolinian she-wolf behind the river-god at the feet of Aeneas, in the process emphasising the hero’s role as the founder of Rome. The she-wolf, who suckled Romulus and Remus, also appears on Aeneas’ shield. As the son of a goldsmith, Batoni painted the shield with particular attention to detail. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Girolamo Forabosco (1604/5–1679)
David with the Head of Goliath, c. 1670
Oil on canvas, 120 x 97 cm
Inv. no. G 38
Inscribed on the front: 86 (in white)
Provenance: acquired by Johann Adam Andreas I of Liechtenstein before 1712 |
|
|
Girolamo Forabosco
David with the Head of Goliath, c. 1670
|
|
|
In the Old Testament the victory of the young shepherd David over Goliath is considered an example of the triumph of the power of God over apparently almighty evil. God’s might can work even through the unassuming and weak. In his picture Forabosco does not depict the triumphal side of the victory but almost literally portrays the narrative of the Old Testament: “But David took the philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem”.
The gigantic head, with its wound from the stone of David’s slingshot, is a heavy burden on the boy. It also symbolises the weight of a bloody deed. The motive of carrying, along with the animal skin, are reminiscent of the antique hero, Hercules.
The painting’s chiaroscuro with its soft transitions becomes more vivid through the pastose use of paint. This late masterpiece was created during Forabosco’s stay in Venice. It reflects the influence of the Neapolitan variant of Caravaggism, which had been introduced to Venice by Luca Giordano in 1653, before being merged with the luminarism of the local painters. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paolo Pagani (1655–1716)
Saint Jerome, 1685–90
Oil on canvas, 118 x 149 cm
Inv. no. G 3
Provenance: acquired by Prince Johann I of Liechtenstein in 1812 |
|
|
Paolo Pagani
Saint Jerome, 1685–90
|
|
|
Jerome sits on the rocky floor of a cave. Only the faithful lion shares his loneliness. With a penetrating gaze the saint is shown reading a book that rests in front of him on a skull. As he pensively strokes his untamed beard with his left hand, his right arm reaches back, a stone in his hand.
Repentant of his lifestyle, Jerome withdrew from the world into the Syrian desert around 380. In one of his letters he writes: ‘As I dwelt in the desert, ... my thoughts often wandered to the places of amusement in Rome ... so much so that I did not stop beating my chest.’ Pagani shows the saint in his act of penance, studying the bible, which he had traded for the heathen scripts. The skull is a reminder of death’s constant presence, against which everything earthly is in vain.
Reduced to the mere essence, the painter depicts Jerome tormented by anguish, wrestling with an existence dedicated to God. The stark contrast between light and dark emphasises the drama and realism of the scene.
The depiction of Saint Jerome in Italian painting has roots in a tradition reaching back as far as the Middle Ages. From about 1400 a second type of portrayal appeared in Tuscany. Alongside the characterisation of the saint as a founder of the church and man of learning, the second type of image depicts Jerome as a penitent in the desert. This type of characterisation is also present in Venetian painting of the 17th century and it is from this context that Pagani’s painting emerges. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
