This little painting was formerly attributed to Domenichino (1581-1641). Cleaning and conservation have confirmed its quality, and it may have originated in the master’s studio.
A painting in Helsinki’s Sinebrychoff Museum, of Apollo and Daphne, repeats the nude figure. Both paintings, not necessarily by the same artist, presumably have their roots in a single drawing, probably of the famous classical statue of Venus Callipygeia (‘Venus of the beautiful behind’). The painting’s original illustrious attribution explains its magnificent carved, gilt frame.