Lot 22A
Western European, possibly by Gerard De Lairesse (Belgian, 1641-1711). Venus, Adonis and Cherub, oil on canvas, late 17th to 18th century. Inscription "Venus & Adonis by G. de Lairesse" carved on wooden stretcher which likely refers to Dutch Golden Age artist Gerard or Gerard de Lairesse (Liege, 1641-1711). A beautifully rendered painting depicting Adonis lying dead at the foot of distraught Venus, with Cupid behind standing in contrapposto, a golden chariot to the rear, and two doves in the forest setting. All is rendered with skillful modelling, a jewel tone palette, and dramatic lights and darks. Mounted in a gold tone wood frame with red velvet covered moulding. The frame is antique but not contemporary to the painting. Size (sight view): 13.125" L x 17" W (33.3 cm x 43.2 cm) Size (frame): 18.5" L x 21.875" W (47 cm x 55.6 cm)
More on the iconography of this painting: Venus dreamed that Adonis had an accident while hunting. She rushed to try to prevent him from going off to hunt, but Adonis ignored her. He thought Venus was crazy to believe in such dreams. Unfortunately, Venus's dream came true: during the hunt, a wild pig with large tusks killed Adonis. A heartbroken Venus had to watch her poor Adonis die because he did not listen to her warning. The moral of the story, listen to your lover or get bored to death!
About Gerard de Lairesse (1641 – 1711): Gerard de Lairesse was an artist of the Dutch Golden Age as well as an art theorist. In addition to being a visual artist, he engaged with music, theatre, and poetry. De Lairesse's influences in the realm of visual art include Perugian artist Cesare Ripa and French Neoclassical painters such as Charles le Brun. Following the death of Rembrandt, his work rose to a new level of significance, and his treatises on drawing and painting, Grondlegginge Ter Teekenkonst (1701), based on geometry and Groot Schilderboek (1707) greatly influenced the direction of 18th-century artists.
According to scholar Jasper Hillegers, "Gerard de Lairesse was, after Rembrandt and possibly Abraham Bloemaert, the most wide-ranging artist active in the Northern Netherlands during the seventeenth century. His subjects cover history, allegory, portraiture, and even genre. Moreover, Lairesse was prolific in all three major pictorial media of his time. In addition to a known painted oeuvre of more than 250 works, often in large format, he produced some 120 prints himself and collaborated with various printmakers who produced many prints after his designs." (Source: "The Drawings of Gerard de Lairesse: State of Affairs" Journal of Historians of Netherlandish Art, Winter 2020)
- Provenance: private Rancho Mirage, California, USA collection, by inheritance in 2020; ex-Dr. TDR Berreth, California, USA, acquired before 1982
- Condition: Overall in very good condition commensurate with age. Painting would benefit from professional cleaning but imagery is still strong and color still vibrant for the age. Small areas of inpainting. Frame has expected age wear with fissures, signs of repair, and losses as shown. Rear of frame with mitigated worm holes. Inscription "Venus & Adonis by G. de Lairesse" carved on wooden stretcher which likely refers to Gerard or Gerard de Lairesse (Liege, 1641-1711).
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