TIEPOLO, Giovanni Battista
(b. 1696, Venezia, d. 1770, Madrid)

The Triumph of Zephyr and Flora

1734-35
Oil on canvas, 395 x 225 cm
Museo del Settecento Veneziano, Ca' Rezzonico, Venice

As an allegory of Spring, this picture brings together the god of the spring winds, Zephyr, and the goddess of all that blooms, Flora. Accompanied by several putti, they hover on a cloud in the sky, while on the lower edge of the picture, the god of love, Amor, seems to be showing them the way. The brilliant colouring of the robes, the successful modelling of the bodies and the dynamic depiction of the multicoloured cloud formations, full of contrasts, make the picture one of Tiepolo's masterpieces.