Allegory of Painting (Primary Title)
Pittura (Painting) (Former Title)
Pompeo Battoni, Italian, 1708 - 1787 (Artist)
In this allegory of painting, Batoni simultaneously
emphasized the medium’s capacity to imitate life and
the artist’s tendency to create idealized forms of beauty.
The small theatrical mask that hangs from the gold
chain around Pittura’s bust alludes to the comparable
intentions of actors and painters to mimic nature,
while her gold tiara, pearls, and jewels equate material
riches with the popular notion of painting’s superiority
to all other artistic mediums. Many of her features
embody the culturally determined standards of beauty
that Batoni inherited from the Roman art of the High
Renaissance period. The half-length format of the
composition was typical of his portraiture, and it is
possible this painting is a portrait historié (an actual
person portrayed as a mythological or historical figure)
of a sitter whose identity is unknown today. Yet,
considering that Batoni painted other allegories of the
various arts, it is perhaps more likely that these works
mark his return to history painting in the final part of
his life, after a long and successful career as one of the
most sought-after portraitists in 18th-century Europe.
P. BATONI PINXIT ROMAE AN.1772
The Jordan and Thomas A. Saunders III Collection
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.
