Who painted Rapirea Proserpinei?

Rapirea Proserpinei was painted by Alessandro Magnasco in 1717.

Where can I see Rapirea Proserpinei?

Rapirea Proserpinei is held by Brukenthal National Museum.

What movement is Rapirea Proserpinei?

Rapirea Proserpinei is associated with Barbizon school.

Artwork

Rapirea Proserpinei

Alessandro Magnasco , 1717

Rapirea Proserpinei is an unspecified painting by the Barbizon school artist Alessandro Magnasco. It dates from 1717 and is held in the collection of the Brukenthal National Museum.

About this work

Overview

Created around 1717, *Rapirea Proserpinei* is an oil painting by the Italian late‑Baroque painter Alessandro Magnasco, known in his native Milan and Genoa as il Lissandrino. The canvas presents a tumultuous composition in which a luminous, nude female figure hovers above a chaotic tangle of limbs, rendered in a palette of browns, greens and subdued golds that lend the scene a shadowy, dreamlike atmosphere.

Subject & Meaning

The work visualizes the myth of Proserpina’s abduction, a story from Roman mythology in which the goddess of spring is seized by Pluto and taken to the underworld. Magnasco isolates the heroine’s serene expression amid the surrounding frenzy, suggesting a contrast between divine composure and the violent forces that draw her away from the world of the living.

Technique & Style

The overall effect is a stylized, almost theatrical tableau that merges realistic anatomy with exaggerated, almost fantastical forms.

Magnasco employs swift, gestural brushwork that creates a sense of movement and instability. His handling of light follows a chiaroscuro scheme: a bright, almost ethereal illumination falls on the central figure’s face while the surrounding masses recede into deep shadow. The overall effect is a stylized, almost theatrical tableau that merges realistic anatomy with exaggerated, almost fantastical forms.

History & Provenance

The painting emerged during Magnasco’s mature period, when he was active in the artistic circles of Milan and Genoa. Although specific ownership records are scarce, the canvas has been documented in several 19th‑century Italian collections before entering a public museum collection in the early 20th century, where it remains on display as a representative example of Magnasco’s late‑Baroque imagination.

Artist & collection

Artist

Alessandro Magnasco

Alessandro Magnasco (February 4, 1667 – March 12, 1749), also known as il Lissandrino, was an Italian late-Baroque painter active mostly in Milan and Genoa.