161 · 75 · Rosalba Carriera A Lady with a Parrot on Her Right Hand (Allegory of Eloquence) c. 1725–1730 Pastel on paper, 54.5 × 41 cm Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, gal. no. P 143 First mentioned in gallery catalogue of 1765 Fixed to backing board: Three Kings token (type 1bw t) Her gaze fixed on a point beyond the pictorial space, the young lady leans her head towards the left – quite as if she was listening to the parrot on her hand. The combination of laurel wreath, white dress, and blue shawl identifies her as one of the muses. The parrot thus becomes an attribute symbolising language and in turn identifying the figure as the muse of eloquence. The symbolic vocabulary of Greek and Roman mythology was a popular source of inspiration for 18th century art. Classical virtues and ideals were subjects of particular appeal to aristocratic circles. Their reception in art and culture served the noblesse as points of departure for intellectual preoccupation with such matters, and as a pleasant distraction from the mundane sides of life. What is more, people liked to have themselves portrayed in the roles of mythological figures as a way of underscoring and heroising certain character traits. KP Literature: Riedel, Wenzel 1765, p. 239; Woermann 1887, p. 778; Sani 1988, p. 307, no. 232; Sani 1991; Magrini 1998, p. 548, fig. 2; Pavanello, Mariuz 2000/01, p. 92, fig. 2; Henning, Marx 2007, fig. p. 59; Sani 2007, p. 244, no. 259; Henning 2009, p. 316, I–66; Jeffares online edition, J.21.1701. · 76 · Rosalba Carriera Diana in a Blue Robe Pastel on paper, 25.5 × 19.5 cm Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, gal. no. P 140 First mentioned in gallery catalogue of 1765 Literature: Riedel, Wenzel 1765, p. 239; Woermann 1887, p. 777; Sani 1988, p. 306, no. 226; Henning, Marx 2007, fig. p. 64; Sani 2007, p. 238, no. 248; Jeffares online edition, J.21.1827. · 76 ·
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTMyNjA1