280 000 CZK
| 10 980 €
Lot 09
VENUS HONORED BY NYMPHS AND A FAUN
30 x 22 cm (h x w)
Starting price
Price realized
23 225 CZK
| 911 €
| 911 €
price without premium
Oil on copperplate.
The known composition of Venus being honored by Nymphs and a Faun created in direct connection with Spranger’s work can be seen in the 1580 print by Jan Harmensz. Muller (1571–1628), printed in 1591 (at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York), or is identical on the ivory relief by Jacob Dobbermann (1682–1745) from 1730–1740. Spranger’s figure style is characteristic and clearly evident here, as is their typification, depiction and distinctive, elegant carnality. Spranger was originally from Antwerp. After working in the services of Pope Pius V, he was offered work in the court of Emperor Maximilian II in Vienna, where he painted The Resurrection with his clear, typical style – swift, coiling movements of slender bodies, the ideal harmony of landscape and figurative elements, excellent work with light, and bold, clear colors. After the court moved to Prague, he served Emperor Rudolf II and thanks to a large number of commissions, he was able to set up his own painting workshop. His paintings inspired the entire next generation of artists.
Ref.: Sally Metzler, Bartholomeus Spranger, Splendor and Eroticism in Imperial Prague, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2014. Consulted with PhDr. Eliska Fuciková, CSc.