Allegory of Sacred and Profane Love
This painting is one of the supreme achievements of Michele Desubleo, a Flemish artist who trained in Rome alongside his stepbrother, Nicolas Régnier, before joining the workshop of Guido Reni. Desubleo combines Reni’s sensual depiction of the human form, citing his Sacred and Profane Love (Palazzo Spinola, Genoa), with a magnificent still life comprised of musical instruments, painter’s palette, fragments of sculpture, and armor that must have satisfied his learned humanist audience who—ideally, at least—balanced material pleasures with virtuous behavior.
Artwork Details
- Title: Allegory of Sacred and Profane Love
- Artist: Michele Desubleo (Flemish, Maubeuge 1602–1676 Parma)
- Date: 1665–75
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 59 × 76 1/2 in. (149.9 × 194.3 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Bequest of Errol M. Rudman, 2020
- Object Number: 2020.263.7
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings
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