FRENCH MASTER (18TH CENTURY)

Oil on canvas. These two overdoors were likely designed for a palatial French chateau and may be from the circle of François Boucher and Jean-Baptiste van Loo. The first overdoor depicts Ceres, the Roman goddess of the harvest, the equivalent of the Greek goddess Demeter and ranked among the Dii Consentes - the twelve most important deities. We see a partly undressed young woman in a richly draped blue and white robe. In her right hand, she clutches a basket full of fruit and grapes, and in her left hand, she holds stalks of grain. Her gaze is directed at two slightly tipsy putti, who lie against a red wall hanging eating grapes and drinking wine from a pitcher. The second overdoor represents Justitia, the Roman goddess of justice. The Romans adopted her appearance from ancient Greece and depicted her as a young woman holding a scale and a double-edged sword. Here Justitia is accompanied by a putto resting on a dog holding the aforementioned scales in his left hand, while the goddess holds only the sword. The gazes of both figures are directed toward the viewer. Just as the female figure from the first painting, Justitia is dressed in rich robes, but this time in red and white.