Lot 48: Michele Desubleo (Mauberge circa 1601-1676 Parma) An Allegory of Painting and Drawing

Michele Desubleo
(Mauberge circa 1601-1676 Parma)
An Allegory of Painting and Drawing oil on canvas76.2 x 66.2cm (30 x 26 1/16in).

We are grateful to Alberto Cottino for confirming the attribution of the present Allegory of Painting to Desubleo. Born in Mauberge, Michele Desubleo spent the majority of his career in Bologna, with the exception of stays in the Veneto and Rome. Whilst it is difficult to date many of Desubleo's pictures, given the lack of documentation, Cottino has suggested a date of the 1650s; either late on in the artist's stay in Bologna or early in his Venetian sojourn. The artist in the present work is sketching on a canvas a winged figure playing a long trumpet, most probably an Allegory of Fame. In his left hand he holds a red-chalk drawing depicting a figure sitting astride a wheel and crowning an ass, a cautionary reminder that whilst painting can bring with it considerable fame, fortunes can always change.