Cupid on the move - mythological whimsy by Michelangelo Maestri

 

The paintings here are in gouache, though some of the images may actually be of hand-colored engravings after the originals. In several instances, there are multiple versions of the same design, with only small variations. Lastly, I can't be certain that all these are by the hand of Maestri. Some may be copies "after Maestri, "the school of", "studio of", etc.

Two versions of the same design.

Three versions of the same design.

Two versions of the same design, reversed.

Two versions of the same design.

Three versions of the same design.

*

Michelangelo Maestri (1741, Rome - 1812, Rome), Italian artist. His best known compositions were based on motifs from frescos discovered in Pompeii and Herculaneum, and from designs by Raphael or the latter's pupil Giulio Romano. His work was frequently purchased by European travelers during their Grand Tour. Some of his subjects that were most popular with collectors portray putti leading animals from a chariot or other conveyance - realistic or fantastical - and were inspired by ceiling frescoes in the salone of the Villa Lante in Rome. Francesco Piranesi and Tommaso Piroli published a series of engravings of these frescoes in 1805, attributing each design to Giulio Romano. Maestri likely knew these engravings as his titles inscribed below the images are similar to those recorded by Piranesi and Piroli.