01 Paintings, Olympian deities, by the Old Masters, with footnotes # 19

Giovanni Bilivert, FLORENCE 1585 - 1644

VENUS, CUPID AND PAN

Oil on copper

18 by 13 in.; 45.7 by 33 cm.

Private collection

Venus, goddess of love, is dipping her feet in a shallow, crystalline pond.  Naked save for her pearl headdress and earrings, she is assisted by Cupid who washes her left leg.  He is naked as well, wearing only a silk sash that billows up behind him as he bends forward.  Standing in the background is Pan who holds Venus’s crimson cloak and a shepherd’s crook, his attribute as god of the wild and protector of flocks.  More on this painting

Giovanni Biliverti,  (Florence, 25 August 1585 – Florence, 16 July 1644) was an Italian painter of the late-Mannerism and early-Baroque period, active mainly in his adoptive city of Florence, as well as Rome. Biliverti was born as Jan Bilevelt. After his father’s death in 1603, Giovanni worked in the studio of Lodovico Cigoli, following him in April 1604 till 1607 to Rome. There he worked in projects approved by Pope Clement VIII.

In 1609 Bilivert joined the Medici-sponsored guild of artists, the Accademia del Disegno in Florence. Bilivert was employed by Cosimo II de' Medici from 1611 until 1621, as a designer for works in pietra durai. Late in life, he became blind. Among his pupils were Cecco Bravo, Agostino Melissi, Baccio del Bianco, and Orazio Fidani. He painted a Hagar in the Desert once in the Hermitage and a Christ and the Samaritan Woman once in the Belvedere in Vienna. More on Giovanni Biliverti

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others

We do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.