Paolo VERONESE and studio
Venetian 1528-1588
Nobleman between active and contemplative life
oil on canvas
134.0 x 204.5 cm
Felton Bequest 1947
1707-4

Veronese was one of the most inventive artists during a period of extraordinary artistic activity in Venice, with contemporaries such as Titian, Tintoretto, the Bassano and Palma il Giovanni. He was a master of dynamic and lively compositions with an amazing sense of colour and harmony. He was also an intelligent artist who painted complex narratives with radical treatments of iconography and interpretation.
Veronese was an artist bent on experimentation in all facets of his art. This painting is a fascinating study because it is an unfinished work, very much a work in progress, revealing the thought processes and technical development of his work.

Because this painting is clearly an unfinished work, the subject has been difficult to pin down. Most likely it is an allegory of the active and contemplative life, with a nobleman seated to the left of centre being asked to choose between a life of learning and a life of pleasure. The accompanying figures have been identified as the Roman goddesses, Minerva, Juno and Venus. Minerva and Juno demonstrate the world of books and the arts, while Venus on the right points to the pleasures of life. As it is unfinished, it is very difficult to date this painting on stylistic grounds.

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