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Lot Essay
Gaetano Gandolfi, along with his elder brother Ubaldo, were the pre-eminent painters in Bologna in the second half of the eighteenth century. Talented and versatile, they executed large-scale fresco cycles and altarpieces, as well as etchings, drawings, paintings of both Biblical and mythological subjects, genre scenes and portraits, and even sculptures in terracotta. Gaetano was enrolled at the Accademia Clementina at the age of 17, where he excelled as a student, winning a number of awards, and by the mid-1750s began to receive private commissions. His artistic horizons were widened by a year of study in Venice in 1760, made possible by the generous financial support of the Bolognese merchant Antonio Buratti (1736-1806). This marked a major turning point in Gaetano’s career and the impact of contemporary Venetian masters, such as Tiepolo and Ricci, was soon apparent in his work. His style continued to evolve even late in his career, when he showed signs of Neoclassicism, despite being an ardent critic of Jacques-Louis David. He continued working, with great innovation, up until his untimely death in 1802 while playing a game of bocce.
The myth of Diana and Endymion was popular with artists and poets of the eighteenth century. The beautiful youth Endymion, a shepherd on Mount Latmos, was sent into an eternal sleep by Jupiter in return for perpetual youth. He was discovered by the moon goddess Luna (or Selene), who later became identified with the chaste Diana, who fell in love with the youth and visited him every night, embracing him while he slept. Here Endymion sleeps while seated on a rocky outcrop, his head resting on his hand; his staff and flauto dolce lie at his feet, while his sheep dog waits patiently beside him. Above, Diana appears, supported on a cloud with a crescent-shaped moon, with Cupid and her attendants visible behind her. The goddess looks down tenderly on the sleeping shepherd, reaching out to him with a graceful gesture, but although she places the palm of her outstretched hand in front of Endymion’s face, she cannot awaken him.
The picture most likely dates to the late 1780s, with its restrained palette and confident execution. It can be compared to The Judgement of Paris (fig. 1; Private collection, Bologna) and Joseph’s Dream, both from the same period. In 1770, his brother Ubaldo also made a version of Diana and Endymion, a pendant to Perseus and Andromeda (both Bologna, Communali d’Arte Collezioni; see P. Bagni, I Gandolfi. Affreschi, Dipinti, Bozzetti, Disegni, Bologna, 1992, pp. 115-21, nos. 102-9). Our picture was unpublished until it was discovered before the 2008 sale, when the attribution was confirmed by Donatella Biagi Maino after inspection of the original (private communication).
The myth of Diana and Endymion was popular with artists and poets of the eighteenth century. The beautiful youth Endymion, a shepherd on Mount Latmos, was sent into an eternal sleep by Jupiter in return for perpetual youth. He was discovered by the moon goddess Luna (or Selene), who later became identified with the chaste Diana, who fell in love with the youth and visited him every night, embracing him while he slept. Here Endymion sleeps while seated on a rocky outcrop, his head resting on his hand; his staff and flauto dolce lie at his feet, while his sheep dog waits patiently beside him. Above, Diana appears, supported on a cloud with a crescent-shaped moon, with Cupid and her attendants visible behind her. The goddess looks down tenderly on the sleeping shepherd, reaching out to him with a graceful gesture, but although she places the palm of her outstretched hand in front of Endymion’s face, she cannot awaken him.
The picture most likely dates to the late 1780s, with its restrained palette and confident execution. It can be compared to The Judgement of Paris (fig. 1; Private collection, Bologna) and Joseph’s Dream, both from the same period. In 1770, his brother Ubaldo also made a version of Diana and Endymion, a pendant to Perseus and Andromeda (both Bologna, Communali d’Arte Collezioni; see P. Bagni, I Gandolfi. Affreschi, Dipinti, Bozzetti, Disegni, Bologna, 1992, pp. 115-21, nos. 102-9). Our picture was unpublished until it was discovered before the 2008 sale, when the attribution was confirmed by Donatella Biagi Maino after inspection of the original (private communication).