ATTRIBUTED TO ANDREA BRUSTOLON (1662-1732) AND HIS WORKSHOP Cupid and Psyche accompanied by the Virtues Pine frame carved in high relief with allegorical figures, acanthus leaves and flowers, varnish and traces of gilding Dim. 273 x 194 cm (Restorations) Provenance : Collection of Dr Rau Sale for Unicef II, 14/15 November 2013, Lempertz Auktion 1019, lot 910, (estimate 300 000 to 400 000 €) Bibliography: -Gary Schwartz, "De goudron schemer van Venetië", Amsterdam Historich Museum, work reproduced under number 73 on page 97. Related works: -Andrea Brustolon, Frame with putti, pine wood with varnish, circa 1715, 98 x 100 cm, Belluno, Museo CIvico,n°inv.7048 ; -Andrea Brustolon, Project for an allegorical frame, 1700-1710, pen, watercolour ink and traces of pencil on paper, 29.6 x 20.4 cm, Belluno, Museo Civico, inv.867. Related literature : -A. M. Spiazzi and M. Mazza, Andrea Brustolon e la sua Bottega. Itinerari in Provincia di Belluno, Guide Skira, 2009, p.58-59 ; - A.M. Spiazzi, Andrea Brustolon (1662-1732), "il Michelangelo del legno", Cat. Exp. at Palazzo Crepadona from March to July 2009, Skira, p.223. This spectacular frame, decorated with allegorical figures in high relief and moving plants, bears witness to the sumptuousness of the Venetian Baroque in the decorative arts of the early 18th century. Between large flowers and highly decorative beaded acanthus leaves are three putti accompanied by birds. A charming couple, Cupid seated on an eagle and Psyche adorns the top. In a multi-layered style, the putto with the winged helmet winged helmet accompanied by a turkey represents vigilance, but also the awakening that must save Psyche. The putto with the swan symbolises purity, while the child holding a dove represents both humility and marriage, while also depicting the victory of love. The eagle, the animal form of Zeus, helps the two young lovers. The setting presents the virtues of Vigilance, purity and humility necessary for pious love (or marriage?). and narrative elements from the mythological story written by Apuleius around 150 AD. The complexity of the discourse suggests that the frame may have been associated with a portrait, probably given as a wedding gift, rather than a mirror. The architectural monumentality of the frame, the refinement of the decoration and the complexity of the iconography are indications of great mastery and a craftsmanship. Of all the artists working in Venice capable of executing such a feat, Andrea Brustolon appears the most convincing. Called by critics He was a pupil of the Genoese sculptor Filippo Parodi during his stay in Rome between 1678 and 1680, and was one of the main creators of figurative wooden sculptures in Venice at the turn of the century. Heading up a workshop first in Venice and then in Belluno, Andrea Brustolon was able to create works that were both imposing and exquisitely detailed and refined, with vivacity and elegance, both in the secular decorative arts and in religious furniture. A pine frame now in the Belluno Museum, dated 1715, bears striking stylistic and iconographic similarities to our work.