Bolognese School Of The 18th Century, Putti With Allegories Of The Seasons

Bolognese school of the 18th century

Putti with allegories of the seasons

(2) Oil on board, cm 41 x 32

With frame, cm 51 x 40

The seasons have always aroused in man a fascination that could not but be stimulating in the field of arts. And, as Vivaldi gave them shape and substance in music, so the figurative art has represented, through its forms, the seasons and the feelings of man in the succession of the same. Four periods in which the path of the star of life is divided, marked by solstices and equinoxes. This essential component of our daily life has found its form supported by symbols. Over the centuries, the iconography of the seasons has often been given an anthropomorphic aspect, facilitating the indefinable and impalpable representation of time. 

In this case, two sweet little bitches, one sleeping on a soft cloth of pink fabric near a bundle of ears and the other playing with a goldfinch, represent respectively summer and spring. 

The two tables, dated to the first half of the eighteenth century, show many of the key features of the Bolognese classicism, developed under the guidance of the Carracci chefs and went to refine under the aegis of Guido Reni and Guercino between the late sixteenth century and the mid-seventeenth century. In particular, the soft roundness and candid expressions of the lovers recall some solutions elaborated within the workshop of Reni, with particular reference to Elisabetta Sirani (Bologna, 8 January 1638 - Bologna, 28 August 1665), among his most promising students.