Dirk de Quade van Ravesteyn, 1565-1620, Attributed, Venus and Satyr

Dirk de Quade van Ravesteyn

1565-1620, Attributed

"Venus and Satyr"

Dutch

Around 1590/1600

Oil on canvas, relined

103 x 168 cm


The Dutch painter Dirk de Quade van Ravesteyn was active at the court of Emperor Rudolf II (1552-1612) during the so-called Golden Age, which made him an important member of the famous Prague School of Dutch painting. The subject of the present painting was probably one of his most popular representations, as numerous versions with different compositions exist. The reclining Venus lies naked - wearing only pearl earrings and with a headdress and pink ribbon in her hair - on a bed covered with fabric; the headboard is shaped like a shell. She holds two flowers in her hand, a carnation, and a rose. Only a gauzy, transparent cloth covers her pubic area and hips. Between her thighs sits a small dog, which can be identified as a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel; Anthonis van Dyck (1599-1641) also frequently depicted this type of dog in his works. The dog, possibly to be interpreted as a symbol of loyalty, is lightly patted by the woman, and is looking at the other figure in the picture: a satyr with pointed ears and two small horns on the top of his head lifts the heavy curtain on the right, revealing a view into a landscape behind it. He brings a basket full of flowers, including those already held by Venus. This can presumably be understood as the invitation having been accepted on Venus' part.



While this reclining female nude is a common pictorial type in the Venetian style, namely that of the so-called Sleeping Venus Discovered by a Satyr (cf. Titian's "Pardo Venus", c. 1551, Louvre inv. no. 752), this is a much livelier scene in which Venus takes an active part despite her resting posture. The woman depicted is definitely not a so-called Venus pudica, who covers her pubis in shame. The Venus lying here is self-confident and shows off her body. This Venus is most comparable to Titian's "Venus of Urbino" (c. 1538), who holds a bouquet of roses and is accompanied by a sleeping dog. In scholarship, this representation is interpreted as a mythological-allegorical depiction.



Here the interpretation of the woman as Venus is already confirmed by the addition of the satyr. Qade van Ravesteyn made numerous similar paintings showing this meeting in a supposed grotto in front of a landscape. Noteworthy features include the beguiling roses, which convey a sensual, romantic impression and stimulate an olfactory perception. In a compositionally similar pictorial work, Venus is stroking a cat, which incorporates an additional playful aspect. While many comparable works depict a scene populated by putti, here the intimacy between the two figures is emphasised. There are also depictions in which a servant or wet nurse brings a basket of fruit or flowers, and the satyr merely holds the curtain open, thus assuming only a secondary role. Interestingly, there is no Cupid shown here, who is usually part of the composition, as in another comparative work in which a satyr approaches from a bucolic landscape in the background while Venus has her arm around Cupid and holds a flower in her other hand. Here, however, the scene is immediate and extremely intimate: although Venus is looking at the viewer head-on, the dog serves as a mediator to the satyr, as do the flowers she is already holding and presenting to the viewer; a reference to what is likely to happen next.