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An Italian Courtyard

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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Two young lovers sit on the steps of an inn under an Italian sky, wiling away their time flirting. He gazes up at her as she dips a sweetmeat into his glass of wine, a pearl earring lightly brushing her neck, a feather waving over her fair curls. A young black boy in magnificent uniform, possibly a slave, watches their unrestrained behaviour. He holds a tray containing a half-peeled lemon and an open oyster, often thought to be an aphrodisiac.

The inn seems to have taken over an ancient classical building with a terrace in front of it. The columns of its portico tower up out of sight. On the terrace is a statue inspired by Michelangelo’s Rebellious Slave (Louvre, Paris), which might have appealed to a Dutch collector unable to make the journey to see such a famous masterpiece for himself.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

An Italian Courtyard

Date

probably 1660-5

Medium

Oil on canvas

Measurements

H 84.5 x W 68.5 cm

Accession number

NG6462

Acquisition method

Presented by Mrs Gifford-Scott, 1980

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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