Lot 177: - Andrea Meldolla, called Schiavone , Zara (?) (Zadar) circa 1510 (?) - 1563 Venice Perseus and Andromeda oil on panel, with trompe l'oeil shaped corners

oil on panel, with trompe l'oeil shaped corners

measurements note 24.9 by 49.8 cm.; 9 3/4 by 19 5/8 in.

Anonymous sale, New York, Sotheby's, 20 May 1993, lot 11, where acquired by the present collector.

THE PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE COLLECTOR
Schiavone was born in Dalmatia but moved to Venice as a young man, training with Bonifacio de' Pitati called Bonifacio Veronese, whose influence is evident in this small panel. Schiavone also absorbed the influence of the Emilian mannerists, in particular that of Parmigianino, and his elongated figures - especially in his etchings - are inspired by his Parmese contemporary. Schiavone specialised in painting small-scale works of historical or mythological subject matter. Here the subject is taken from Greek mythology and the story is told by Ovid: Perseus rescues Andromeda, the daughter of an Ethiopian king, who had been chained to a rock as a sacrifice to a sea-monster. Perseus unties Andromeda while the slain monster rests nearby, and the winged horse Pegasus stands beyond. The painting's trompe l'oeil shaped corners would suggest that this painting once formed part of a larger complex, perhaps a predella- or cassone-shaped panel, which may have been dismembered later. When the painting was sold in 1993 the painting was extremely dirty and the corners had been painted over.