(Antwerp 1516–1570)
The Death of Adonis,
oil on panel, 70.5 x 90 cm, framed

Literature:
S. Ferrari, Temi nordici nel paesaggio veneziano del Cinquecento, in: L. de Fuccia/C. Brouard (eds.), «Di là dal fiume e tra gli alberi». Il paesaggio del Rinascimento a Venezia. Nascita e fortuna di un genere artistico (XV-XVII secolo), Ravenna 2012, pp. 131-132, fig. 9

The present painting represents Venus discovering the body of Adonis, gored to death by a wild boar. Maintaining iconographic tradition, the artist represents Venus accompanied by a putto, as she kneels alongside Adonis who is flanked by his hunting dogs.

This work by Frans Floris, from circa 1550, can be compared to other works by the artist of the same period, such as his two versions of The Judgment of Paris, one in the Hermitage, Saint Petersburg (inv.no. ГЭ-6093) and the other in the Museumslandschaft Hessen, Kassel (inv. no. GK 1001). However, the work that is closest to the present painting is The Lamentation of Abel in the Royal Museum of Fine Art, Antwerp (inv. no. 5138) in which the figure of Abel is almost identical to that of Adonis.

Such complex figural arrangements with complicated contortions of the body, as well as the use of contrapposto, are derived from Tuscan Mannerism, following Michelangelo. This figurative language gained traction at Antwerp after 1547 thanks to Floris, who had by then returned from Italy. His workshop thereby became the centre for the diffusion of Italianate artistic models.

In addition to the themes of Mannerism, Frans Floris was especially influenced by Venetian art. The present painting is an eloquent demonstration of the influence of the Venetian masters, and especially of Titian, whose Prometheus in the Museo del Prado (inv. no. P000427) served as inspiration for Floris’s Adonis.

Long established trading relationships between Venice and Northern Europe during the renaissance created an important exchange of ideas in the development of art; the reciprocal transfer of interests between these two regions finds numerous examples throughout the sixteenth century. In Venice these ranged from the influence of the work of Albercht Dürer to the practice of local artists leaving parts of their paintings to be executed by northern artists, as well as the rise of interest in new genres such as ‘nocturnal scenes’ or ‘fire scenes’.

Frans Floris was born at Antwerp and he practiced as a painter and engraver, as well as a designer of tapestries; he contributed significantly to the spread of the Italian cinquecento forms and motifs, significantly influencing the development of the Northern renaissance. He studied in Rome from 1540 alongside his brother Cornelis II Floris, and on his return to Flanders he enjoyed great success due to his mannerist style of painting, his technical skill and his ability to organise an efficient workshop. Many young painters were trained in his studio including Marten de Vos, Lucas de Heere and Frans Pourbus the Elder.