163 · 77 · Rosalba Carriera Transience and Eternity Holding Hands Pastel on paper, 63.5 × 51 cm Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, gal. no. P 41 Acquired 1756 from Tallard Collection, Paris Inserted loosely behind backing board: Three Kings token (type 2bw t) The pastel on view here is one of Carriera’s few double portraits: Transience and Eternity Holding Hands portrays two very different female figures. A young woman in a white dress and blue shawl represents Celestial Eternity. Like her heavenward gaze, an aureole surrounding her head of dark, loosely tied hair points to her divine origins. At her side is Terrestrial Transience dressed in delicate pink and white, her blond hair bedecked with a laurel wreath and flowers. However contrary the two personifications may appear at first sight, their gestures symbolise their affiliation: Transience has her gaze fixed on Eternity and they firmly clasp each other’s hands. The twosome thus alludes to the finitude of everything material and the permanence of the ideal, but also to the transition from the terrestrial sphere to the celestial (after death). The work is assumably a companion piece to another work by Carriera – Love and Justice – which was sold by the Gemäldegalerie in 1920 (see p. 242, gal. no. P 42). KP Literature: Riedel, Wenzel 1765, p. 239; Woermann 1887, p. 765; fig. 4; Sani 1988, p. 307, no. 239; Henning, Marx 2007, fig. p. 58; Sani 2007, p. 250, no. 266; Spenlé 2008, pp. 171f., 293; Henning 2009, p. 301, I–23; Jeffares online edition, J.21.1573. · 78 · Rosalba Carriera Air 1746 Pastel on paper, 56 × 46 cm Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, gal. no. P 50 First mentioned in gallery catalogue of 1765 Fixed to backing board: Three Kings token (type 1bw t) · 79 · Rosalba Carriera Water 1746 Pastel on paper, 56 × 46 cm Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, gal. no. P 51 First mentioned in gallery catalogue of 1765 Fixed to backing board: Three Kings token (type 1bw t) · 80 · Rosalba Carriera Earth 1744 Pastel on paper, 56 × 46 cm Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, gal. no. P 52 First mentioned in gallery catalogue of 1765 · 81 · Rosalba Carriera Fire 1744 Pastel on paper, 56 × 46 cm Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, gal. no. P 53 First mentioned in gallery catalogue of 1765 Fixed to backing board: Three Kings token (type 1a w t) The Four Elements cycle was one of Rosalba Carriera’s last works. Carried out on commission from the Saxon court, it was later purchased by the art dealer Francesco Algarotti in Venice. Each of the elements is personified by a young woman and clearly defined by an attribute – Air by a dove, Water by a basket of fish, Earth by a basket of fruit, and Fire by a flame. While grace, elegance, and sensuality are common to them all, the figures are also captivating by virtue of the individuation of facial features and garments. The wealth of colour also delights the eye of the beholder, and many a sketchy stroke testifies to the artist’s still-confident hand. Shortly after completing this cycle, Carriera underwent surgery to correct an eye ailment, but the positive effects were short-lived and could not prevent her ultimate loss of sight. KP Literature: Riedel, Wenzel 1765, p. 241; Woermann 1887, p. 767; Sani 1985, vol. 2, pp. 697f., Sani 1988, p. 324, no. 356a; Henning, Marx 2007, fig. p. 98; Sani 2007, pp. 350–361, no. 417b; Henning 2009, p. 302, I–25; Jeffares online edition, J.21.1465.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTMyNjA1