Charles-André Van Loo called Carle Van Loo

A GROUP OF PUTTI HARVESTING HAY, ONE DRINKING FROM A BOWL WHILE RESTING IN THE FOREGROUND: AN ALLEGORY OF SUMMER

NICE 1705 - 1765 PARIS

Charles-André Van Loo called Carle Van Loo

signed lower left: Carle VanLoo
oil on canvas
15 by 39 1/2 in.; 38.1 by 100.3 cm.

Provenance:
This charming allegory of summer features a group of putti gathering wheat, two of them at rest while the others continue the work in the fields. It was originally conceived as a set of four seasons, likely commissioned for a specific decorative scheme. Allegory of Fall was sold by LeFranc on 5 June 2005, lot 219, as by Boucher; the locations of the other two scenes are unknown.

Carle Van Loo was the most famous member of an artistic dynasty. He was acclaimed in his own time for his tremendous skill in depicting a wide range of subjects and styles, producing portraits, mythological, genre and history subjects, as well as religious works. While still in his teens, he won first prize for drawing at the Académie Royale in 1723 and was awarded the Prix de Rome the following year. Van Loo received numerous royal commissions, including the decoration of the king’s private chambers at Fontainebleau and Versailles, and was appointed Premier Peintre to Louis XV in 1762. In addition to his work at the court, his paintings were in demand from other members of the aristocracy and Parisian society.