Venus and Cupid

Born in the small North Italian city of Trento, the artist became recognized for his work rebuilding the fountain of Neptune for his hometown, as well as the statues of San Pietro Canisio and San Filippo Neri for the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome. However, the highly skilled Malfatti primarily sculpted genre and funerary works, which appealed to an international audience. In addition to exhibiting at the Paris Salons of 1882 and 1888, Malfatti sculpted the tomb a Mme. Josephine Faniel Verazzi, dedicated in 1879, which depicts a young child saying an eternal farewell to its mother and which may still be seen today at Père-Lachaise cemetery, Paris (44th division).
The present work deftly illustrates how Malfatti’s refined skills lent themselves to the tender subject of funerary moments. Here Venus evokes a sense of calm and melancholy, her downcast eyes suggestive of a mind lost in thought. Yet perhaps most striking is the dexterity of the carving, the undercut uneven curls of hair, the intricacies of the folded and dimpled skin, providing an exuberance to the cold marble which appear to almost bring the subject to life.