Flora As An Allegory Of Spring, Guglielmo Cortese, Known As Borgognone

Guglielmo Cortese, known as Borgognone
(Saint Hippolite 1628 - Rome 1679)

Flora with putto (Allegory of Spring)

Oil on canvas
74 x 61 cm. - Framed 93 x 79 cm.

Condition: Good, has restorations

The painting in question, of outstanding quality and artistic value, depicts the allegory of spring, personified by the beautiful Flora, the Roman fertility goddess: the young goddess is seated in a graceful pose, sumptuously dressed in a draped gown and with her head adorned with flowers, to emphasise her loveliness, while she embraces a small chubby putto, possibly Zephyrus, intent on grasping a flowering branch.

From the middle of the 17th century, the fashion for these decorative depictions of mythological-themed maidens in settings adorned with flowers or fruit soon spread throughout Italy, but especially in Rome. Apart from the decorative character, this type of painting presumably also had a symbolic meaning, for instance in its connection with flowers as a metaphor for female beauty and youth. Another possible meaning of the painting under consideration would be the erotic allusion, not unusual even in a culture dominated by the restrictions of the Counter-Reformation.

It is a painting of immediate beauty, combining remarkable pictorial finesse with a scenic construction capable of satisfying even the most demanding gaze.

The style of the work, distinguished by a textural drafting with soft strokes and brilliant colourism, make it ascribable to the Roman environment of the second half of the 17th century, and attributable to the work of Guglielmo Cortese known as il Borgognone (Saint Hippolite 1628- Rome 1679), French by origin but active in Italy for most of his career, especially in Rome.

The analysis of stylistic and figurative features, in particular the refined style, well calibrated to Baroque exuberance, as well as the setting with elements of classicist ascendancy, are typical features of Borgognone's creations, borrowed from the examples of Brueghel, of whom he was a great follower and with whom he collaborated on several occasions.

See for example, among the collaborative works between Guglielmo Cortese and Abraham Brueghel ‘Putti with Flowers in a Garden’ (Private Collection, Bergamo) (1), ‘Still Life with Vases of Flowers and Putti’ (Private Collection, Milan) (2) or the ‘Young Woman with Putto in a Garden with Fruit and Vegetables’ (Private Collection, Modena) (3).

Source: Zeri Foundation