Lot Details

Description

Miguel Rudecindo Contreras

Pair of paintings:

The Marriage of Flora and Zephyr,

The Marriage of Bacchus and Ariadne

Olio on canvas

in 46,46x34,65

Authentic signature of the present work: "Miguel Rudesido Contreras fe.". The two paintings depict two beautiful mythological scenes of graceful composition. In the first, we see Flora, goddess of flowers and nature, surrounded by a retinue of little cupids with butterfly wings. She is reclining on a triclinium, while angels shower her lap with flowers as a symbol of joyful fertility. Flora is the goddess of spring and of all things that bloom or are about to bear fruit, of floriculture, of youth, and she was regarded as a protectress of women in childbirth and of harvesters. She was one of the most ancient deities of the Roman pantheon, presiding over the season of spring.
The second canvas represents the marriage of Ariadne and Bacchus, recalling the ancient myth in which the two are often depicted together, in love and happy. The Roman god Bacchus corresponds to the Greek god Dionysus, a divinity whose symbols, in addition to the vine and climbing ivy, included the thyrsus, a knotted staff topped with ivy leaves. Bacchus/Dionysus is portrayed as a strikingly handsome youth, with curly hair crowned with vine leaves and tendrils. Ariadne was the daughter of Minos, king of Crete, who had imprisoned the Minotaur—a half-man, half-bull monster—within the labyrinth built by Daedalus, from which no one could escape. Each year, seven Athenian maidens were given to the monster as sacrifice, until Theseus, son of the king of Athens, slipped in among the victims with the purpose of slaying the beast. Ariadne and Theseus fell in love, and when the time came for Theseus to enter the labyrinth, he unwound a thread along his path, given to him by Ariadne on the advice of Daedalus. Theseus killed the Minotaur and, by following the thread back, found his way out of the labyrinth. He and Ariadne fled together from Crete and stopped on the island of Naxos, where Theseus revealed that he had only pretended to love her in order to gain her help against the monster. Abandoned, Ariadne wept and confided her grief to the young nymphs, who tried to distract her by telling her of a ship that had just arrived with a god on board. That god was Bacchus, who landed on the very shore where Ariadne had been left behind. The canvas depicts the moment when the young god Bacchus meets Ariadne, still sorrowful from Theseus’s betrayal, consoles her, makes her fall in love with him, and asks her to be his bride.
The two canvases derive from distinguished French prototypes of the 17th century. The first, that of Flora, is based on a drawing by Nicolas Mignard, intended to be turned into a Gobelins tapestry. The second derives from a rare French work: The Marriage of Bacchus and Ariadne, engraved in 1693 by Gérard Audran, after a now-lost painting by Antoine Coypel.
One of the two paintings, the Flora (The Marriage of Flora and Zephyr), is signed in the center at the bottom: "Miguel Rudesido Contreras fe." This is the signature of one of the most important South American painters of the 18th century, the Mexican artist Miguel Rudecindo Contreras. Characteristic of Contreras’s works are the use of strong chiaroscuro and very vivid colors. In his known works, the Mexican painter often drew inspiration from French or Flemish prints.

From the critical analysis, Dott.ssa Arabella Cifani

The painting is accompanied by:

Expertise Dott.ssa Arabella Cifani

Dimensions

in 37,40x51,18

Provenance

Private collection

Conditions

Defects.

Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each product to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Coradi Rare Finds is merely a subjective opinion.