Fine del XVIII secolo inizio XIX secolo, Da Raffaello Sanzio - Il Trionfo di Galatea

Late 18th century, early 19th century, After Raphael Sanzio
The Triumph of Galatea
Oil on canvas, 95 x 71 cm
Framed, 114 x 89 cm

The work depicts the marine apotheosis of Galatea, shown gliding across the water atop a monumental shell serving as a chariot, whose reins guide a pair of dolphins immersed in the rippling waves. The Nereid’s figure is arranged in a lively, sculptural contrapposto: while her torso and lower limbs follow the direction of movement to the right, her face turns backward in a twisting motion of striking theatrical effect. The composition’s dynamism is further heightened by the sweeping red mantle wrapped around the heroine’s hips and billowing in the wind, transforming into an ideal sail that frames the figure and enhances her anatomical grace. In terms of iconography and structure, the invention draws on the quintessential Renaissance archetype established by Raphael Sanzio in his celebrated fresco, painted around 1511–1512 for the suburban villa in Trastevere belonging to the wealthy Sienese banker and papal treasurer Agostino Chigi, now known as Villa Farnesina. At this ambitious project, conceived as a pleasure villa devoted to literary leisure and patronage, the decoration of the Loggia of Galatea saw the master from Urbino working in direct competition with Baldassarre Peruzzi (who created the astrological cycle on the vault) and the Venetian Sebastiano del Piombo, who painted the adjoining, melancholy Polyphemus. Drawing inspiration from Angelo Poliziano’s Stanze per la Giostra, Raphael achieved a perfect balance between classical monumentality and fluid rhythm, embodying what he called his “certain idea” of ideal beauty in a famous letter to Baldassarre Castiglione—a beauty not modeled on a real-life sitter, but conceived in the artist’s mind.

The frame is provided free of charge and therefore cannot be grounds for a return or claim.

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