Time Unveiling Truth
Pompeo Batoni·1740–45
Historical Context
Pompeo Girolamo Batoni's Time Unveiling Truth, painted in 1740-45, is an allegorical composition by the artist who would become Rome's leading painter in the second half of the eighteenth century. Batoni, born in Lucca, established himself in Rome as a master of both grand allegorical paintings and the portrait genre for which he is now best remembered. This early allegory demonstrates his fluent command of the Roman classical tradition before he devoted himself primarily to portraiture.
Technical Analysis
Batoni's oil-on-canvas technique shows his refined, polished manner with smooth modeling and clear, luminous color. The allegorical figures are rendered with classical grace and anatomical precision, combining the idealism of Raphael with the coloristic warmth of seventeenth-century Roman painting.
Provenance
Possibly Cardinal Silvio Valenti Gonzaga (died 1765) [Clark 1985]; then by descent, possibly Valenti Gonzaga’s nephew, Cardinal Luigi Valenti Gonzaga (died 1808); a noble Florentine family. Private collection, Rome [Clark 1985]. P. & D. Colnaghi, London, 1975. Galerie Bruno Meissner Switzerland, by 1976; sold to Art Institute, 1976.
