Venus Caressing Love by Pauli, ca. 1670

Born in Mechelen, Rombout Pauwels enrolled as an apprentice with the local Guild of Saint Luke at the age of eleven. He then travelled to Rome, where he is said to have worked alongside Nicolas Poussin and François Duquesnoy. On his return from Italy around 1643, he took the “Pauli” pseudonym and became a master craftsman, first in his home town, then in Ghent.

Although his works are few and poorly documented, Pauwels can nevertheless be considered, alongside François and Jérôme Duquesnoy, Lucas Faydherbe, and Artus Quellin, as one of the greatest Flemish sculptors in activity during Rubens’ century. His most famous and admired work is the tomb of bishop Karel Maes in the Saint Bavo Cathedral of Ghent. In addition to sacred works, he also made several sculptures on such topics as childhood, love and motherhood. All of them are imbued with humanism, morality and erudition, which are strong symbols of the great Baroque art developed in the Netherlands in the middle of the "Great Century".

Of our substantial "Venus Caressing Love" sculpture, we know that there exists a bronze version (30.6 x 42 x 17.7 cm, housed in Munich’s Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, nr. 63/11) and a terracotta version displaying a few differences (35 x 49 x 28.5 cm, signed, housed in the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Lille, nr. 987.8.1). It should also be noted that an unsigned gilt bronze sculpture (37.5 x 50 x 22 cm) of the same model, irrefutably attributable to Pauli, was put on the auction block by Thierry de Maigret in Paris on September 22, 2018. Our large and beautiful terracotta sculpture, previously unknown, can be added to Pauli’s body of work.

Undeniably created by Pauwels, this sculpture is made of the same red ochre clay that can be found in the workshops of Mechelen and Antwerp. It is inscribed with the name "Lemoine", a peculiar signature that was probably added in the 19th century by someone as unscrupulous as he was knowledgeable about the works of the 18th century French portraitist.
These Venus and Love are the direct heirs of the Flemish "Madonna and Child" of the Baroque era, as the tender attitude of the two protagonists can attest. The hand of Venus, with its slender fingers kneading Love's hip with maternal affection and her gaze plunging into the wide-open eyes of a Cupid being cradled and caressed refer to the antithesis between sacred and profane love, a topic that was dear to the heart of Flemish 17th century artists.

The iconography of this sculpture has long been debated. While the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lille presents its version under the title "Venus caressing Love" (together with another sculpture by the same artist called "Venus teaching Love the art of archery"), the bronze version held in Munich was once attributed to Artus Quellin and titled "Charity".
Pauli's mastery, breadth of talent and sensitivity can be noticed in the distinctive treatment of the drapery and his application in the execution of the bed cover and rich headboard, which are not to be found on the terracotta sculpture housed In Lille but are present on the Munich bronze. With this sculpture, Pauli instills new life into the theme of the goddess’ maternal love for her son Cupid and, without renouncing the classicism and elegance of the 17th century, announces the more worldly and “esthétisant” art of the upcoming 18th century.

PAULI or PAOLI (Mechelen, 1625-1690), ROMBOUTS PAUWELS aka

Venus Caressing Love

Terracotta.
A Lemoine signature has been added at a later date.

Height 42 cm. Length 58 cm.
(Petits accidents et restaurations).

Provenance :
André and Monelle Vogt Collection in Bussang (Vosges), before 1920; family heirloom.

Similar works:
- Rombouts Pauwels, Vénus caressant l’Amour, bronze, 30,6 x 42 x 17,7 cm, Munich, au Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, n°inv. 63/11.
- Rombouts Pauwels, Vénus caressant l’Amour et Vénus enseigne l’art du tir à l’arc à l’amour, paire de terre cuites, 35 x 49 x 28,5 cm et 35 x 51 x 28,5 cm, l’une signée, conservée au palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille, n°inv. 987.8.1.

Relevant Litterature :
-« La sculpture au siècle de Rubens dans les Pays bas méridionaux et la principauté de Liège », cat exp. tenue au musée d’art ancien, Bruxelles, 15 juillet – 2 octobre 1977.
-Alain Jacobs, « Fascination baroque, la sculpture flamande dans les collections françaises », cat. exp. tenue au musée de Flandre, Cassel du 15 octobre 2011 au 29 janvier 2012, Coédition musée de Flandre / Somogy, 2011, pp.118 -221.