Lot 1303 Dα

The present work is among the few mythological paintings made by the great Neapolitan church artist Francesco Solimena, who played a significant role in Italy around the turn of the seicento to the settecento. Sebastiano Ricci, the great renewer of Italian painting in the early 18th century, owes a particular debt to this artist for his refined colouring and elegant compositions - which undoubtedly characterise the present depiction. Both Nicola Spinosa and Mina Gregori date this work to 1705, the latter praising it as one of Solimena's masterpieces as a result of its "fortunate colouration and formal perfection".

We would like to thank Nicola Spinosa for his information on this image.