Birth of Venus
Primary
Attributed to Giulio Benso
(Pieve di Teco, Italy, 1592–1668)
NationalityItalian, Europe
Date17th century
MediumPen and brown ink with brush and brown wash over black chalk
DimensionsAdditional Dimension: 20 1/4 × 15 3/4 in. (51.5 × 40 cm)
Credit LineBlanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, The Suida-Manning Collection, 2017.906
Rights Statement
Collection AreaPrints and Drawings
Object number2017.906
On View
Not on viewThis work is inspired by Cambiaso's large, autonomous drawings of the early 1560s. The hand is more controlled and refined than is typical for Benso. Distinctive are the loose brushstrokes in the reflections. It and several other drawings of identical characteristics have recently been attributed to one Bartolomeo Gagliardo, about whom little is known. Given the egregious quality of these drawings and their proximity to the virtuoso Benso, a cautious attribution to him remains preferable.
Exhibitions
Attributed to Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione
1630
