William Etty, RA (British, 1789-1849)


Reclining female nude oil on canvas51.5 x 61.4cm (20 1/4 x 24 3/16in).
|We are grateful to Dr. Sarah Burnage, Assistant Curator at Fairfax House (York Civic Trust) and author of William Etty: Art and Controversy for confirming the attribution to William Etty on the basis of photographs. ProvenancePrivate collection, Canada.The nude figure in the present lot can probably be identified with the goddess Venus. She is depicted, reclining on a bed in a sumptuous interior, an Italianate landscape beyond. Etty, who was accomplished at rendering the female nude, painted Venus in a number of other paintings such as Venus and Cupid (circa 1825-1835, York Museums Trust) and The Dawn of Love (exhibited 1828, Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum in Bournemouth). The present lot, without the presence of another figure or cupid, focuses the viewers attention on Venus alone - and her pose, the posy of flowers, bracelet and the handling of the bedding, are reminiscent of Titian's 1534 work Venus of Urbino, currently in the Uffizi, Florence.