Milani Antichità, founded over 35 years ago by Claudio Milani and now run together with Silvia Boschetti, specialises in Venetian painting from the 16th to the 19th century. Each work is selected and studied with historical and artistic rigour, in collaboration with experts and conservators. Based in Solesino (Padua), the company has participated and continues to participate in major fairs, including Modena Antiquaria, Gotha in Parma, Padova Antiquaria and AMART Milano
Within its original frame, it is signed in the lower left corner, on the bed, with the date 1792 and a reference to the city of Rome, a fact that links the painting to the important friendship and protection of Antonio Canova towards his fellow countryman, who had just returned from his stay in Naples and was about to leave for London.
The painting depicts an episode from Ovid's Metamorphoses (XI, I, 43), which recounts the tragic death of Orpheus, torn apart by the Maenads. Orpheus is pinned to the ground by the Thracian women, deprived of his musical instrument, while Bacchus kills him by stabbing him with a trident. Provenance: Conti Merenda, Forlì.