Michelangelo Maestri - Pair Of Gouaches

Michelangelo Maestri (died 1812)
Amor Vile and Amor Poetico. 
Gouache on paper. 
Early 19th century. 

The compositions of the Italian painter Michelangelo Maestri are taken from the frescoes discovered in Pompeii and Herculaneum during the 18th century and from the decorations imagined in particular by Raphael and his pupil Giulio Romano for the great Roman palaces of the Renaissance. 
Maestri's gouaches were popular with aristocrats making their Grand Tour of Italy. Thanks to their high quality of execution on the one hand, and because they were based on the great mythological themes known since the Renaissance on the other. 

In this case, this pair of gouaches presents a putto pulled by two animals, it is part of a series of nine frescoes. The original fresco was first painted for the Villa Lante in Rome around 1520 by Giulio Romano, before being moved to the Palazzo Zuccaro in Rome, where it is currently located.