6 - Alessandro Varotari, known as “il Padovanino” (1588–1649)

Alessandro Varotari, known as “il Padovanino” (1588–1649) Venus Oil on canvas 69.5 x 155 cm Distinctive features: on the reverse, an old handwritten label reading “No. 16 Titian’s Venus”; a Veneto Banca label with inventory references Provenance: Lorenzo Furegon Collection; Banca Popolare di Asolo e Montebelluna; Veneto Banca SpA in LCA Certificates: Undated entry by Ugo Ruggeri, attributed to a Paduan artist Condition. Support: 70% (re-stretched) Condition. Surface: 90% For direct WhatsApp assistance before and during the live auction: +39 346 12 999 80 // Direct assistance via WhatsApp before and during the auction: +39 346 12 999 80 Characterized by the splendid harmony of Venus’s golden body against the dark backdrop of the nocturnal landscape and the large purple drape, the painting belongs to Padovanino’s mature period. He was trained in the style of Titian and served as a teacher to Pietro Liberi, Pietro della Vecchia, Giulio Carpioni, and other artists closely tied to the models of the Venetian Renaissance. Also characteristic of the artist are the face, the gesture of the bent hand, the broad geometric folds of the drapery, the shading that gradually blends the flesh tones with the background, and the swift brushwork that renders the transparencies. In 2021, the work underwent a series of analyses (conducted by Diagnistica Fabbri, whose report we reproduce at length below) including X-ray, infrared reflectography, false-color infrared imaging, and ultraviolet fluorescence, with the aim of determining the techniques used and the state of preservation; the results confirmed the attribution. X-ray analysis, in particular, revealed the superimposition of at least two studies of the head, with different angles and the consequent displacement of the eye, nose, and mouth. The hair was depicted as almost loose in the original draft, later gathered into a low ponytail at the nape of the neck and simplified through long, fluid brushstrokes—visible in the infrared imagery—which will be discussed in greater detail below. Similarly, the breast shows a doubling of the outline, as it was reduced in the final version. The infrared reflectography scan also revealed a dark, rather opaque line—likely of a carbon-based composition—that defines the subject’s anatomy and the details of the vegetation surrounding Venus’s body. alongside this fine linework—likely executed with a dry medium—one or more broad, fluid strokes stand out clearly; these precisely follow the contours of the forms, accentuating the chiaroscuro that blends into the background and enhancing the three-dimensional rendering of the forms: observing the armpit in particular, one can see how the long brushstroke serves to slightly expand the dimensions of the arm and torso. In the drapery, this treatment represents the shadow cast by the body onto the red cloth. In the area of the ankles and forearms, similarly, one finds the coexistence of preparatory drawing and dark brushstrokes, while the hands show clear signs of contour redefinition and, in some cases, repositioning of the fingers before reaching the final composition. Furthermore, under infrared light, the vegetation in the background becomes more clearly visible in its details, which tend to be lost to the naked eye due to the dark hues present: in the reflectographic image—even in false color—the squirrel’s outline becomes clearly visible; moreover, it was painted so that it overlaps the trunk on which it rests. This allows us to return to an image that more closely reflects the artist’s original vision in terms of image depth. Under ultraviolet light, no significant damage to the paint layer was detected; in fact, the retouching appears sporadic and confined to limited areas, but the coexistence of dark retouches and others that are less evident was observed, a sign that the painting was restored on at least two chronologically distinct occasions. The full attribution of the canvas to Padovanino was proposed by Ugo Ruggeri, author of the artist’s catalog raisonné (Soncino, 1993), following an examination of the work in person. According to the scholar, the canvas is “certainly authentic and by the artist’s own hand” when “compared with his works such as the ‘Triumph of Thetis’ at the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo—which completed the series of copies of Titian’s ‘Bacchanalia’ painted by the artist during his youthful journey to Rome (see U. Ruggeri, “Il Padovanino,” in “Saggi e Memorie di Storia dell’Arte,” 16, 1988, p. 27, fig. 11)—the “Ariadne Abandoned” in a private collection (Ruggeri, op. cit., fig. 13), the “Venus and Adonis” in Palazzo Madama in Rome (Ruggeri, op. cit., fig. 32), and numerous other paintings in which Padovanino practices reinterpreting Titian’s early styles, in a manner of chromatic classicism that is entirely characteristic of him. We are most likely dealing here with a work by the p