An Allegory in Honour of the Duchess of Mantua c. 1650-55
Dark reddish-brown and dark red oil paint on paper | 39.2 x 54.9 cm (sheet of paper) | RCIN 904052
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A drawing of an almost-naked man sitting upon a jumble of objects including armour, as he points towards a well-dressed woman sitting opposite him, with an infant held in her lap. Between them an old man stands leaning on the base of a sarcophagus with a globe at his feet. To the left are symbols of worldly activity – a globe and charts, musical instruments, a hunting dog with a dead hare. In a related painting the men are identifiable as Mars, god of war, reclining on a breastplate, and Time, leaning against a tomb. Both drawing and painting probably mark the birth in 1652 of the son of Carlo II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, who had reportedly befriended Castiglione in Rome a few years earlier. An allegory on the limits of temporal power would have been understood as central to a prince’s education. This drawing is related to the painting formerly in the Pellicioli Collection which bears the traditional title Marte e la Duchessa di Mantova col figlio sotto le spoglie di Giunone. There are two further related drawings in the Royal Collection; RCIN 904013, and RCIN 903860.
Provenance
Probably Carlo II and Fernandino-Carlo Gonzaga, 9th and 10th Dukes of Mantua; Zaccaria Sagredo; from whose heirs purchased by Joseph Smith, British Consul in Venice, 1752; from whom purchased by George III, 1762
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Creator(s)
Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Dark reddish-brown and dark red oil paint on paper
Measurements
39.2 x 54.9 cm (sheet of paper)
Other number(s)
RL 4052Alternative title(s)
Allegory in honour of the Regent of Mantua