Love Bound by Maiden

Benvenuto di Giovanni, a Sienese painter active from the 1460s into the early sixteenth century, created this allegory of Love Bound by a Maiden around 1497. Such allegorical and mythological subjects were popular for Sienese domestic decoration, particularly for cassoni and spalliere panels. Benvenuto's long career bridged the transition from early to High Renaissance Sienese painting. This work belongs to the High Renaissance, when the innovations of the preceding century were synthesized into works of monumental clarity and ideal beauty.

Tempera on panel with the elegant line and decorative coloring characteristic of the Sienese school. The allegorical figures are rendered with graceful proportions and refined surface detail.