Cupid Making His Arch
Encyclopedia
Cupid Making His Arch is a painting by the Italian late Renaissance
artist Parmigianino
. It is housed in the Kunsthistorisches Museum
, Vienna
, Austria
.
, who was a friend and patron of Parmigianino. Late Renaissance art biographer Giorgio Vasari
writes that Baiardo had commissioned the Cupido che fabbrica di sua mano un arco.
The painting was inherited by Marcantonio Cavalca and later went to Antonio Pérez, secretary of state of Philip II of Spain
, who brought it with him to Spain
. In 1579 Pérez fell in disgrace, and was forced to sell the painting to an envoy of emperor Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor
. It was however blocked by the Spanish crown, and could be acquired and arrive to Prague
, together with Correggio's Jupiter and Io
and Ganymede Abducted by the Eagle
, in 1603. It was transferred to Vienna's Schatzkammer in 1631.
A preparatory drawing for Cupid's head is in the Cabinet des Dessins of the Louvre
(n. 1662). The work was frequently copied and used as a model by numerous artists. There are copies by Joseph Heintz the Elder and Rubens
in the Alte Pinakothek
of Munich
.
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
artist Parmigianino
Parmigianino
Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola , also known as Francesco Mazzola or more commonly as Parmigianino or sometimes "Parmigiano", was an Italian Mannerist painter and printmaker active in Florence, Rome, Bologna, and his native city of Parma...
. It is housed in the Kunsthistorisches Museum
Kunsthistorisches Museum
The Kunsthistorisches Museum is an art museum in Vienna, Austria. Housed in its festive palatial building on Ringstraße, it is crowned with an octagonal dome...
, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
History
The work appears in the inventory of Francesco Baiardo in ParmaParma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
, who was a friend and patron of Parmigianino. Late Renaissance art biographer Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari was an Italian painter, writer, historian, and architect, who is famous today for his biographies of Italian artists, considered the ideological foundation of art-historical writing.-Biography:...
writes that Baiardo had commissioned the Cupido che fabbrica di sua mano un arco.
The painting was inherited by Marcantonio Cavalca and later went to Antonio Pérez, secretary of state of Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
, who brought it with him to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. In 1579 Pérez fell in disgrace, and was forced to sell the painting to an envoy of emperor Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor
Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor
Rudolf II was Holy Roman Emperor , King of Hungary and Croatia , King of Bohemia and Archduke of Austria...
. It was however blocked by the Spanish crown, and could be acquired and arrive to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, together with Correggio's Jupiter and Io
Jupiter and Io
Jupiter and Io is a painting by the Italian late Renaissance artist Antonio Allegri da Correggio. It is housed in the Kunsthistorisches Museum of Vienna, Austria.-History:...
and Ganymede Abducted by the Eagle
Ganymede Abducted by the Eagle
Ganymede Abducted by the Eagle is a painting by the Italian late Renaissance artist Antonio Allegri da Correggio. It is housed in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria....
, in 1603. It was transferred to Vienna's Schatzkammer in 1631.
A preparatory drawing for Cupid's head is in the Cabinet des Dessins of the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
(n. 1662). The work was frequently copied and used as a model by numerous artists. There are copies by Joseph Heintz the Elder and Rubens
Rubens
Rubens is often used to refer to Peter Paul Rubens , the Flemish artist.Rubens may also refer to:- People :Family name* Paul Rubens Rubens is often used to refer to Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), the Flemish artist.Rubens may also refer to:- People :Family name* Paul Rubens (composer) Rubens is...
in the Alte Pinakothek
Alte Pinakothek
The Alte Pinakothek is an art museum situated in the Kunstareal in Munich, Germany. It is one of the oldest galleries in the world and houses one of the most famous collections of Old Master paintings...
of Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
.