Venus with Doves

Spadarino remains one of the least known followers of Caravaggio despite numerous attempts by art historians to appraise his importance.

The present painting demonstrates how Spadarino supplemented his early formation with borrowings from the Venetian influences that were introduced into Roman painting by both Caravaggio and his rival Annibale Carracci. Indeed, this Venus is an open homage to Titian's famous paintings of the goddess of love, albeit viewed through the lens of Caravaggio's ironic treatment of mythological themes.