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European market, and after an engraving
celebrating "Love" -
"Les Pelerins De L'Isle De Cythere", by Bernard Picart (1673-1733) -
painted in grisaille, gilt and iron red, the central roundel depicting a heart-decorated 'Cupid' ('Eros')
with staff and torch guiding a pilgrim couple to a travel by boat to the Greek Isle of Cythere,
the couple with sharing a cup of wine, two boats and the island in the background,
all within a gilt spearhead border, the outer rim with shell and scroll gilt and iron red border
In the ancient world, the Greek island of Cythera,
was thought to be the birthplace of and sacred to Venus, goddess of love,
and where couples went to find true love.
This subject matter was the inspiration of French painter Jean-Antoine Watteau for the painting
The Embarkation for Cythera ("L'Embarquement pour Cythère") -
also known as "Voyage to Cythera" and "Pilgrimage to the Isle of Cythera".
Watteau submitted this painting (shown below), now in the Louvre, Paris,
to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture as his reception piece in 1717.
A second version of the work, sometimes called Pilgrimage to Cythera,
was painted by Watteau about 1718 or 1719 and is in the Charlottenburg Palace, Berlin.
Condition : Excellent; the grisaille strong, and gilt with only minor rubbing;
without chips, cracks or restoration
8-7/8" Diameter
SOLD
#7290
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