Gaetano Gandolfi
(1734 - 1802)
 

Gaetano Gandolfi was an Italian painter, draughtsman and sculptor of the late Baroque period, mainly active in and around Bologna. He is known for his biblical, mythological and allegorical subjects, as well as his portraits and nudes. He was both a painter on canvas and a fresco painter. Gaetano and his older brother Ubaldo were among the leading artists in Italy during their lifetime. This reputation was earned by the excellent quality of their work, which lead to numerous major commissions from courts all over Europe.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaetano_Gandolfi

Allegory of Beauty
Circa 1779
Oil on canvas
94.5  × 76.5 cm
Kunsthalle Bremen, Germany
https://bremen.museum-digital.de/object/77?navlang=en

The Gandolfi family maintained one of the leading painting workshops in 18th-century Bologna. Gaetano Gandolfi created these oval companion pieces for the Buratti family, who kept them in their palace on the Piazza San Martino. The first painting is an allegory of beauty featuring a young couple adorned with floral wreathes. The young man leans on a harp, alluding to the peaceful and poetic Arcadia of shepherd idylls and music. At the same time, he holds up a mirror to the young woman so that she may admire her coral necklace. As an attribute of Prudentia (wisdom, self-knowledge), the mirror may also indicate that both are aware of the danger inherent in beauty.