Express Delivery ▷ L’as de pique by Fransoist, 2022 | Oil Painting for Sale

The work pays homage to the Renaissance painter Piero di Cosimo and his famous portrait of Simonetta Vespucci, reputed to be the most beautiful woman of the 15th century and the model for Botticelli’s Venuses. The female figure has become that of a mature man with an enigmatic smile. The landscape in the background and the snake-shaped necklace are directly inspired by di Cosimo’s painting. The snake refers both to the snake in Adam and Eve, that of temptation and sexuality, and to Simonetta’s surname, Vespucci, meaning viper. The title of the painting recalls “The Ace of Spades” is a pun on the asp viper, the characteristic of a strange and funny individual. The ace of spades has always had multiple symbolism linked to sexuality (or the lack thereof). The technique used is that of the painting used in the 15th century, with the same natural pigments (ochres, natural or burnt earths, ultramarine, reds, etc.) Signature in monogram FsT at the bottom right, on the chest, as if it were a coat of arms.