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Lot Essay
This masterpiece is one of the versions executed by Fedele Fischetti for a group of tapestries depicting the story of Psyche and Cupid. The group was woven by the Royal manufacturer in Naples by the Italian, Pietro Duranti from 1783-1786 to decorate the Royal Palace of Caserte which had been completed in 1752. It is now preserved in the salle d'Hercule in the Palazzo Reale in Naples.
In the tapestry, La toilette de Psyché (fig. 1), signed and dated 'P. DURANTI F. NAP MDCCLXXXVI', Fischetti harmoniously combined elements of Rococo and Neoclassicism. The artist trained with Gennaro Borrello before completing his artistic education with studies in Rome. The influence of Mura and Bonito is visible in his early works. Beginning in 1770 Fischetti's style began to change, already more Classic than Rococo in spirit, the elements and characters were inspired by his artistic discovery of the frescoes of Herculaneum and Pompeii. His later works are similar to those of Angelika Kauffmann, to whom this picture was once awarded.
In the tapestry, La toilette de Psyché (fig. 1), signed and dated 'P. DURANTI F. NAP MDCCLXXXVI', Fischetti harmoniously combined elements of Rococo and Neoclassicism. The artist trained with Gennaro Borrello before completing his artistic education with studies in Rome. The influence of Mura and Bonito is visible in his early works. Beginning in 1770 Fischetti's style began to change, already more Classic than Rococo in spirit, the elements and characters were inspired by his artistic discovery of the frescoes of Herculaneum and Pompeii. His later works are similar to those of Angelika Kauffmann, to whom this picture was once awarded.