(Vienna 1647–1705 Turin)
Bacchus and Ariadne,
oil on canvas, 170 x 145 cm, framed

Provenance:
art market, Brussels;
where acquired by the father of the present owner, circa 1975

Literature:
E. Schleier, Aggiunte a Daniele Seiter, in: Studi di Storia dell’Arte, no. 27, 2016, p. 204, fig. 4 (as Daniel Seiter)

We are grateful to Annalisa Scarpa for confirming the attribution for the present painting.

We are also grateful to Matthias Kunze for independently confirming the attribution on the basis of a photograph.

Also known under the names of Daniele Fiammingo or Cavalier Daniele, Daniel Seiter was raised in Vienna and trained as draftsman by his father. He moved, at a young age, to Venice and dedicated himself to painting. Here he worked for almost a decade under the supervision of Carl Loth, assimilating his maniera. Seiter travelled extensively throughout Italy: Verona, Milan, Parma, Bologna; he settled in Florence and then in Rome, where he became a close collaborator of Carlo Maratta (1625-1713). In Rome he achieved success, however the city that rewarded him most was Turin, where he was employed by the Duke of Savoy and knighted for his artistic talents. He moved to Turin in 1688 and remained there until the end of his life.

Seiter can be considered a representative of the taste at the court of Savoy, although his style always incorporated elements of his Venetian training, as well as the classical knowledge derived from Carlo Maratta. The present painting, which Erich Schleier dates in the decade 1680-90, illustrates how both elements come together in the artist’s oeuvre. The modeling of Venus and Mars is similar to Maratta, consisting of sensuous, but smooth volumes. However, the tones of the painting are of delicate Venetian touch and inscribe the present painting in a tradition that recalls Titian. The face of the putto is turned to face Venus, just enough to give the viewer a glimpse of his sweet features; a composition which can be easily associated with other works within Seiter’s production, such as the frescoes in the Royal Palace in Turin (1690-94).