''The Battle Between Love and Chastity'' is a painting by the Italian Renaissance artist

Pietro Perugino Pietro Perugino (, ; – 1523), born Pietro Vannucci, was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Umbrian school, who developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance. Raphael was his most famous pupil. Ea ...

, now in the

Musée du Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

, in Paris, France. It was originally commissioned for the '' studiolo'' (cabinet) of

Isabella d'Este Isabella d'Este (19 May 1474 – 13 February 1539) was Marchioness of Mantua and one of the leading women of the Italian Renaissance as a major cultural and political figure. She was a patron of the arts as well as a leader of fashion, whos ...

, Marchesa of

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture. In 2017, it was named as the Eur ...

, in the Castello di San Giorgio.

History

The painting was the third commissioned by Isabella d'Este for her ''studiolo'', after the two canvasses by

Andrea Mantegna Andrea Mantegna (, , ; September 13, 1506) was an Italian painter, a student of Roman archeology, and son-in-law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with perspective, e.g. by lowering the horizon in orde ...

, the ''

Parnassus Mount Parnassus (; el, Παρνασσός, ''Parnassós'') is a mountain range of central Greece that is and historically has been especially valuable to the Greek nation and the earlier Greek city-states for many reasons. In peace, it offers ...

'' and the '' Triumph of the Virtues''. The paintings of the '' Coronation of Isabella d'Este'' and '' Reign of Comus'' would be completed by

Lorenzo Costa Lorenzo Costa (1460 – 5 March 1535) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance. Biography He was born at Ferrara, but moved to Bologna by his early twenties, and was probably influenced by the Bolognese School. However, many artists worked in ...

. The subject was suggested by Isabella's court poet, Paride da Ceresara, documented by the correspondence between Isabella and Perugino, who was then active in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

. The notary contract included all the details about the literary theme, as well as a drawing which the work had to be based on. For example, when Perugino painted a naked Venus, instead than dressed, the marchesa protested vigorously. In 1505, when the painting was delivered, the marchesa was not entirely satisfied. She declared that she preferred it would have been painted in oil, instead of the tempera used under her directives in order to follow Mantegna's style. Perugino, who probably was not at ease with the small format of the work, received 100

ducats The ducat () coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages from the 13th to 19th centuries. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained ...

for the work. After the extinction of the Gonzaga dynasty, the painting was gifted by Charles I of Nevers to cardinal Richelieu, and was thus moved to Paris. Later it was acquired by the state and was added to the collection of the Louvre.

Description

The painting, over a background with gently steeped hills, portrays a fight between the symbolic figures of Love and Chastity. The theme was similar to other commissioned for the ''studiolo''. Among the numerous mythological figures are

Minerva Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the Rom ...

, Diana, Venus, Anteros, nymphs,

faun The faun (, grc, φαῦνος, ''phaunos'', ) is a half-human and half-goat mythological creature appearing in Greek and Roman mythology. Originally fauns of Roman mythology were spirits (genii) of rustic places, lesser versions of their c ...

s and others. In the background are depicted several mythological episodes showing the victory of Chastity over Carnal Love, such as Apollo and Daphne, Jupiter and Europa, Mercury and Glaucera,

Polyphemus Polyphemus (; grc-gre, Πολύφημος, Polyphēmos, ; la, Polyphēmus ) is the one-eyed giant son of Poseidon and Thoosa in Greek mythology, one of the Cyclopes described in Homer's ''Odyssey''. His name means "abounding in songs and leg ...

and

Galatea Galatea is an ancient Greek name meaning "she who is milk-white". Galatea, Galathea or Gallathea may refer to: In mythology * Galatea (Greek myth), three different mythological figures In the arts * ''Aci, Galatea e Polifemo'', cantata by H ...

Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Sun. It is the largest ...

and

Proserpina Proserpina ( , ) or Proserpine ( ) is an ancient Roman goddess whose iconography, functions and myths are virtually identical to those of Greek Persephone. Proserpina replaced or was combined with the ancient Roman fertility goddess Libera, whose ...

, and Neptune with the nymph transforming into a

carrion crow The carrion crow (''Corvus corone'') is a passerine bird of the family Corvidae and the genus ''Corvus'' which is native to western Europe and the eastern Palearctic. Taxonomy and systematics The carrion crow was one of the many species or ...

Other paintings of Isabella's Studiolo

* ''

Allegory of Isabella d'Este's Coronation The ''Allegory of Isabella d'Este's Coronation'' is a painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Lorenzo Costa the Elder, dating to about 1505–1506. It is displayed in the Louvre Museum of Paris, France. History The painting was the fourth ...

'' by Mantegna * '' Reign of Comus'' by

* '' Triumph of the Virtues'' by Mantegna * ''

'' by Mantegna

Sources

External links

Page at the museum's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Between Love and Chastity, The 1503 paintings Paintings by Pietro Perugino Paintings in the Louvre by Italian artists Paintings depicting Greek myths category:Gonzaga art collection Paintings of Venus