LODEWIJK TOEPUT CALLED IL POZZOSERRATO (1550–1605) - ATTRIBUTED

Oil on canvas. The author of this typically Venetian work is probably Flemish artist Lodewijk Toeput, who worked for some time in Venice. A similar painting is in the collection of the museum in Treviso. Toeput painted mythological themes, biblical themes, and genre scenes of Venetian social life, but also made many religious paintings for Venetian churches. However, he was known primarily for his landscape frescoes and canvasses that combine Flemish and Venetian style. These landscapes depict spacious vistas filled with picturesque and atmospheric effects. A large part of this painting is occupied by a loving couple sitting under the crown of a mature tree. The woman, richly garbed in a light-coloured draped dress, gazes dreamily at her companion, holding sheet music on her lap. The man, dressed mostly in red, returns her gaze and plays the lute. Above the pair, a little cupid hovers, ready to shoot his arrow of love. In the middle ground, we see a white palace, a path with a coach, and a landscaped garden where a sumptuous feast is underway. We see women in fancy dresses with companions, men on horseback, and plates of food.