Set of three lithographic prints comprising:
lithographic print of painting by Francesco Zuccarelli entitled Landscape with Europa and the Bull, originally painted c.1740
Bought by George III, King of the United Kingdom (1738-1820), with the collection of Consul Joseph Smith.Oil on copper. Probably commissioned by Joseph Smith, this small piece is one of the finest examples of Zuccarelli's work in the Smith collection. The feminine content gives rise to the idea that the painting may have been intended for the apartments occupied by Smith's wife in the Palazzo Balbi on the Grand Canal Venice. The Rape of Europa, as told in Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book 11, tells of Jupiter falling in love with Europa and abducting her in the form of a Bull. The drama of Ovid's tale is ignored by Zuccarelli who concentrates on a gentle pastoral scene of a bull being decorated with garlands of flowers. Europa can be seen only in the distance carried away by the bull led by Cupid.
Print size inches: 6.7 x 9.3 together with lithographic print of painting by Luca Giordano entitled Psyche Honoured by the People, originally painted c.1695-7
Acquired by George III, King of the United Kingdom (1738-1820).The first of a set of twelve surviving paintings on copper which illustrate the story of Cupid and Psyche, a tale of ill matched lovers, one mortal one divine, as recounted at considerable length by Apuleius in The Golden Ass (Books 4-6). Possibly commissioned by Carlos II of Spain or his mother, these late works date from 1692-1702 during which time Giordano spent at the Court of Charles II. Acquired by George III, they are recorded in the Bedchamber at Buckingham Palace (1792), but they are also mentioned in the archives of his father's collection.
Print size inches: 8.9 x 7.3 together with lithographic print of painting by Marco Ricci entitled The Courtyard of a Country House, originally painted c.1728
Acquired by George III, King of the United Kingdom (1738-1820), with the collection of Joseph Smith, British Consul in Venice.Marco Ricci succeeded his father and Canaletto as stage designer at the famed Venetian Theatre of Sant'Angelo. The arrangement and lighting of Ricci's designs are surprisingly similar to Canaletto's vedute, (large scale cityscapes or other vista). The Courtyard of a Country House is one of a set of thirty-two drawings in tempera by Marco Ricci. The inscription on the back suggests that some (at least) of the set were painted for the Consul’s wife.
Print size inches: 8.9 x 6