Allegory of Peace and War
Pompeo Batoni·1776
Historical Context
Batoni's Allegory of Peace and War, painted in 1776, is a late allegorical composition by the artist who by this date was primarily known as the portraitist of choice for British Grand Tourists in Rome. Batoni's allegorical works demonstrate his continuing engagement with the classical tradition of history painting even as portraiture dominated his output. The subject of peace and war was particularly resonant in 1776, the year of American independence and the broader upheavals of the late eighteenth century.
Technical Analysis
Batoni's polished oil technique renders the allegorical figures with classical idealism and luminous color. His refined draughtsmanship and smooth modeling create figures of elegant beauty, while the warm Roman palette gives the allegory an accessible, sensuous quality.
Provenance
In the artist’s studio from 1776 until at least January of 1781 [for early mentions of the picture including those in letters of Father John Thorpe to Lord Arundel, see Bowron 2016, pp. 518-20]. Probably Comtesse Clotilde Eugénie d’Oultremont (née van den Steen de Jehay, 1850–1932); by descent to her daughter Elisabeth von Furstenberg (née d’Oultremont, died 1953), Brussels; by descent to her son Maximilien, Cardinal von Furstenberg (died 1988), Brussels, Lisbon, and Vatican City; by descent to his nephew Comte Wenemar de Furstenberg, Belgium [see copy of Cardinal von Fürstenberg’s note of June 5, 1977, listing paintings bequeathed to Comte Wenemar de Furstenberg, and the count’s letter to Jean-François Heim, dated March 27, 1998, in object file]; sold through Jean-François Heim, Paris, to the Art Institute, 1998.
