1305 - 16TH-CENTURY PAINTER

16TH-CENTURY PAINTER Venus and a Satyr Oil on canvas, 116x91 cm The painting depicts the sensual embrace between a young nude woman and a satyr with reddish-brown skin and goat-like horns, likely Jupiter in disguise to seduce the nymph Antiope. The woman raises an arm to part a red drape, a gesture alluding to the revelation of the scene, while in the background a hilly landscape unfolds at sunset. The smooth, almost porcelain-like skin, the idealized anatomical construction, and the chromatic refinement are consistent with the international style developed by French painters of the late 16th century; the painting is not dissimilar to the early works of Louis Finson, although there are many echoes of the Rudolphine school. Given its high quality, it is hoped that it will be the subject of further study.