(Padua 1614–1687 Venice)
Venus accompanied by Libra and Taurus,
oil on canvas, 119.5 x 153 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private collection, Tuscany;
art market, Rome;
where acquired by the present owner

We are grateful to Bernard Aikema for confirming the attribution of the present painting after examination in the original and for his help in cataloguing this lot.

The present picture is a significant example of the sensuous artistic output of Pietro Liberi, who was one of the most successful painters in mid-seventeenth century Venice. Typical for Liberi are the depiction of light flesh tones, the open brushwork, and celebration of the female nude which are all aspects represented in the present painting. In fact, in this composition Liberi refers to the tradition of Venetian Cinquecento painting.

At first sight, the subject of this composition might appear to be the Rape of Europe, which was painted a century earlier in canonical canvases by Titian and Paolo Veronese. But although inspired by such prototypes, this picture represents an astrological theme: Venus accompanied by Libra and Taurus. A rare subject, and most probably executed for a specific commission which, however, at present it has not been able to reconstruct.

In stylistic terms, Liberi’s picture is more frivolous and more sensuous – perhaps even more erotic, than the 16th century examples which inspired him – much in keeping with the taste of the time. A comparison with other works by Liberi, depicting similar sensuous female nudes, makes it clear that the present picture should be dated to Pietro Liberi’s mature period, probably in the 1660s.