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painting of three nudes in a landscape with a man and a womanan image of a painting of three women laying on a bedan image of a picture frame with a piece of paper taped to it
Dams Casa d'Aste

36 - Giovanni Venanzi – Bathsheba at Her Bath Oil on canvas, 111 …
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Estimate €12,000 - €20,000
Sale commission
Description
Giovanni Venanzi – Bathsheba at Her Bath Oil on canvas, 111 x 135 cm The painting depicts Bathsheba at her bath, a scene taken from the Old Testament and a particularly popular subject in seventeenth-century painting. The young woman is depicted half-naked, reclining in the foreground whilst gazing at her reflection in the mirror; behind her, a maid is busy styling her long hair. In the background, beyond the elegant architectural setting punctuated by columns, appears the figure of King David, who is watching Bathsheba from the palace terrace – a detail that helps to clarify the iconographic identification of the scene.The composition combines the accentuated sensuality of the female figure with a scenographic arrangement in the classical style, achieved through the succession of planes, the monumental architecture and the view out onto the garden. The soft modelling of the flesh tones, the composure of the poses and the carefully calibrated luminosity reflect the Emilian training of Giovanni Venanzi, a painter from Pesaro documented as a pupil of Simone Cantarini and subsequently active in Parma within the Farnese court circle.Particularly successful is the contrast between Bathsheba’s luminous body, the deep blue of the drapery and the darker masses of vegetation, whilst the motif of the mirror introduces a refined play on the duplication of the figure, accentuating its intimate yet seductive character. The work is a significant example of the more secular and decorative aspect of Venanzi’s output, in which the Cantarini influence is combined with elements of Bolognese classicism from the second half of the seventeenth century. In a frame.
See original version (Italian)
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About the sale Paintings and Drawings from the 15th to the 19th century
Auction location
Auction time 10/29/2026 at 3:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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