The Rape of Europa
Pseudo Giampietrino B (active in Milan between the 3rd and 5th/6th decades of the 16th century)
The Rape of Europa
1530s-40s
Oil on Poplar Board
Descrizione:
In the panel depicting the mythological episode of the Rape of Europa, the foreground is occupied by the two characters: Zeus portrayed as a bull, his neck and horns adorned with necklaces of flowers, on whose back is Europa, the princess with whom he had fallen in love and whom he kidnapped. The maiden is naked, a simple red cloth drapes her body, while her long blond hair is gathered at the nape of her neck. The animal is galloping away into the waters of the sea, moving away from the shore where three handmaids stand, looking on astonished and in an attitude of despair. In the background, the coastline can be glimpsed, characterised by several inlets, with small villages and moored boats.
There is a sealing wax mark on the reverse, bearing the eagle of the Austrian Empire with the initials ‘F.I’ in the centre surrounded by the inscription ‘I. R. [IMPERALE REGIA] ACCADEMIA DI MILANO * PER L’ESPORTAZIONE’. (I.R. [IMPERALE REGIA] MILAN ACADEMY*FOR THE EXPORTATION.
Dimensions:Â 74 x 99 cm
Â
CODICE: ARARPI0180783
Analisi Storico Stilistica:
The panel under examination is derived from a dispersed model by Giovan Pietro Rizzoli known as Giampietrino (Milan 1480/85-1553), painted in the final phase of his career, characterised by a late Leonardism now contaminated by Raphaelesque, Classicism and Mannerist influences. The setting is that of Milan in the early 1640s, when the active Leonardists had to compare themselves with other models by foreign artists such as Gaudenzio Ferrari and Giulio Romano, but also Venetian artists such as Titian.
Rizzoli’s pupil was Pseudo Giampietrino B, to whom the panel can be attributed through comparison with other paintings assignable to the same hand and transited on the antiquities market as the work of the master or anonymous. The Rape of Europa constitutes the masterpiece of the artist’s career, showing manners derived from master Giampietrino, not only from a stylistic point of view, but also in his working approach. He uses of his fingers to grade chiaroscuro passages, a ‘digital painting technique’ recognisable by the imprints found on the paint film.
The work is accompanied by an expert opinion by Drss. Cristina Geddo.
- Pseudo Giampietrino B, The Rape of Europa
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