Lot 2022 Rα

The present work is an early copy by Padovanino after the famous painting by Titian in the Galleria Borghese in Rome. The subject of Titian's painting has been widely discussed, but has so far persistently eluded clear interpretation. A possible interpretation of the scene was suggested by Erwin Panowsky (1892-1968). The great art historian interpreted the two Cupids as the representation of, or struggle between, two kinds of love: Earthly love or Eros, represented by Cupid with a blindfold, and heavenly love, that of the seeing Antero (on the left). He embodies a virtuous, ideal love that is not motivated by physical desire.
Although born towards the end of the sixteenth century, Padovanino avoided in his oeuvre both the classicist reforms of the Carracci and the revolutionary realism of Caravaggio. Instead, he continued to work in the Venetian tradition. His career coincided with the rediscovery of the Venetian master Titian, which also occurred in Rome in the 1620s. Padovanino may have seen Titian's original version of the present work during a visit to the Eternal City in 1625.