Venus and a Satyr (The 'Venus del Pardo'; after Titian)
attributed to Miguel de la Cruz (fl. c.1630 - 1660)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
c. 1633 - 1649
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
1981 x 3683 mm (78 x 145 in)
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Ham House, Surrey
NT 1139666
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, Venus and a Satyr (The 'Venus del Pardo'), attributed to Miguel de la Cruz (active c.1633-1660) after Titian, 1633-49. Venus reclines in the centre foreground, with male figures to the left. Putti ascend top left. The original painting of about 1535 was given by the Spanish King Philip IV to the English King Charles I in 1623 and bought by Mazarin by 1653 and is now in the Louvre, Paris (INV 752; MR 521). The diarist, John Evelyn mentions seeing a copy at the studio of Jan Van Belcamp and although Daniel Mytens was paid in 1625 for copying the picture when it was still in the King's collection, it is not likely this one is by the latter but maybe by the former artist. The frame is clearly designed for the picture as there is a carved satyr below each painted one and a carved winged cherub above Cupid in the picture.
Provenance
Made for William Murray on the behest of Charles I and in 1683 inventory (70) attributed to Cruz; in 1677 inventory; acquired in 1948 by HM Government when Sir Lyonel, 4th Bt (1854 – 1952) and Sir Cecil Tollemache, 5th Bt (1886 – 1969) presented Ham House to the National Trust, and entrusted to the care of the Victoria & Albert Museum, until 1990, when returned to the care of the National Trust, and to which ownership was transferred in 2002
Credit line
Ham House, The Dysart Collection (purchased by HM Government in 1948 and transferred to the National Trust in 2002)
Makers and roles
attributed to Miguel de la Cruz (fl. c.1630 - 1660), artist after Titian (Pieve di Cadore 1488/90 - Venice 1576), artist possibly Jan van Belcamp (c.1610 - Hampton Court 1653), copyist
References
Thornton and Tomlin 1980 Peter Thornton, and Maurice Tomlin. “The Furnishing and Decoration of Ham House.” Furniture History, The Journal of The Furniture History Society Vol.XVI, 1980, p. 101, p.96 Rowell 2013: Christopher Rowell (ed.), Ham House, 400 Years of Collecting and Patronage, Yale University Press, New Haven & London 2013, pp. 37-48, fig.28 Simon 2014, Jacob Simon (ed. Sarah Okpokam), Picture Frames at Ham House, National Trust, 2014