Circle of Domenico Zampieri (Domenichino) (1581-1641) - 17th Century: Ganymede - Cup Bearer to the Gods

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A seller on eBay France has listed this nicely executed depiction of Ganymede (Cup Bearer of the Gods), circle of Domenichino. He speculated that the figure might be Young St. John (Not even close). Anyone with half an active brain could read the symbology of that Eagle and the gold cup and that sexually seductive look on that boy's face. I sent him an email and corrected him on the identity of that mysterious youth. I am sure that painting is darker than a stack of black cats and the photographs he posted were illuminated by a million watt bulb, that's how it usually works with some of the European sellers. Dissemblance seems to be a major past-time of some these guys, just a comment from my personal experience. Anywho, a nicely executed study of a very  popular guy (in Olympus and other circles of lust and passion in the universe...I think someone once said, tongue-in-cheek: "There's nothing so soft as a little boy's cheek...", which cheek, however, being definitely up for debate). Ganymede definitely pissed off Hebe, whom he replaced as the favorite of Zeus. Who can blame her, being upstaged by a young upstart shepherd whose only attribute was his good looks and soft cheeks. Wait a minute, I think I get it now.

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