PAINTINGS ONLINE | ANCIENT AND CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY

Luca Giordano's School

Oil on canvas. School of Luca Giordano. The scene depicts the conversion of Saint Paul, as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles. While traveling to Damascus to persecute the Christians, Saul (his name before his conversion), a Jew but a citizen of Rome, was suddenly enveloped in a divine light and heard the voice of Jesus asking him why he was persecuting him. This event led him to convert to Christianity, taking the name Paul and dedicating himself to spreading the Gospel. Saul is depicted falling from his horse, which has overturned on its side, while a beam of light dazzles him, coming from the cloud on which Christ is seated, surrounded by angels. Around Paul, Roman soldiers and his entourage are agitated, not understanding what is happening. The numerous figures, both human and animal, intertwine and overlap with great dynamism, supported by bright and vibrant colors. The work's style is reminiscent of Luca Giordano (1634-1705), the prolific 17th-century artist who translated modern Baroque concepts into painting with remarkable imagination and creativity, drawing on Caravaggio's naturalism and infusing it with new Baroque trends. His vast output spawned a large following of minor painters, who espoused his style. The painting was relined in the second half of the 19th century. It features paint loss at the lower right. It is presented in a late 19th-century gilded frame.

In the Name of Peace on Earth 1969

Oil on canvas. Signature, title, and date in Cyrillic on the back. Viktor Petrovich Rudametkin is a Ukrainian artist who has established himself as a landscape painter and colorist. In this work, using his characteristically vibrant palette, he depicts a peasant mother in the middle of a field of sunflowers, a symbol of life and peace, contrasting with the images of military planes streaking across the sky. Created during the years when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, the image can be thought of as a call to peace and a message of hope for the artist's native land, still torn apart by the serious conflict with Russia.

Oil on canvas. The scene beautifully expresses the dramatic pathos of a shipwreck: under a sky filled with dark clouds, a small boat is sinking offshore, while the fisherman's family takes refuge on the rocky shore, where white, foaming waves crash. The work is presented in a contemporary gilded frame.

Print on canvas. Signed lower right (F. De Villeneuve). The tapestry, with inscriptions in French, promotes tourism on the French Riviera, particularly at the renowned and luxurious Riviera Hotel, of which it offers a pleasant view from the outside, by the pool. The tapestry comes with two contemporary extendable rods for support and tensioning (minimum length 148 cm).

Oil painting on canvas. The coastal glimpse, near a rocky inlet where torrential waters flow, sees figures at the landing place of the ships, ready to welcome the boats that are approaching; in the distance the profile of the city. Restored and relined, the painting has widespread dirt stains especially in correspondence with the sky. It is presented in a stylish frame.

Oil painting on canvas. Northern Italian school of the eighteenth century. The landscape, set on the banks of a wide river, sees in the center some figures of peasants intent on picking fruit from a tree: a girl holds the ladder while the boy cuts off a bunch, on the left another couple places the fruit collected in a tub. All around a vast green countryside and some farmhouses. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a period frame.

Autumn Flowers

Oil on canvas. Signed lower right. On the back is a Galleria Spirale label with the title. A certificate of authenticity from the same gallery is included. Giuseppe Ajmone, an artist from Valsesia who trained at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan, was one of the signatories of the 1946 Manifesto of Realism. In addition to still lifes and landscapes, which dominated his early artistic career, Ajmone also developed an interest in nudes, which have characterized much of his painting from the mid-1960s to the present. Shown here is a floral arrangement in a vase. The work is presented in a frame.

Oil on canvas. German school of the mid-20th century. At the bottom right is the signature W. Purschke and the location Munchen. The scene is set inside the study of a high prelate: sitting at his desk he listens to two men who show him a route on a map; at the top left is placed on a shelf a model of a ship: perhaps the bishop is also the owner of the ship, who discusses the next trip with its owner. From the window, closed by a worked grille, you can glimpse the village, with houses with a characteristic Nordic appearance. The painting is presented in a period frame.

Inlay made of various woods. The inlay depicts the figure of a cellist in eighteenth-century dress. Francesco Ferrario was an accomplished cabinetmaker, influenced by the Neoclassical and Art Nouveau movements. Having trained in drawing at the Brera Academy, after collaborating with the finest artists of the time, he opened a workshop in Milan, first on Via Tenca, and then in 1927 on Corso Sempione. A label on the back of the work places it among the works produced at this latter location. The work is presented in a period frame.

Oil on canvas. This is a copy of the painting of the same name by Giulio Cesare Ferrari (1818-1899), created in 1863 and purchased a few years later by the Pinacoteca dell'Accademia in Bologna. The painting depicts a scene from Victor Hugo's novel "Notre-Dame de Paris": Esmeralda, a young gypsy who enchants with her beauty and dancing, is persecuted by the archdeacon Frollo because of his obsession and locked in the tower of the Parisian cathedral, where she is helped, however, by the hunchbacked bell-ringer Quasimodo. In the scene, the young woman is huddled in the narrow, dark cell accompanied by her inseparable goat. The work belongs to the historical-literary painting movement that developed in the 19th century alongside Romanticism and Realism, and is characterized by the depiction of scenes from history and literature, often with celebratory and commemorative intent. The copy proposed here, of good workmanship and datable shortly after the original, is presented in a mid-20th century style frame, contemporary with the restoration and relining of the work.

Genre Scene at Court

Oil on canvas. Signed lower right. Antonio Zavaga was an Italian painter between the 19th and 20th centuries, specialized in 18th-century style painting, mainly of a gallant and salon setting. The scene of this work is also set in a rich 18th-century style hall: a lady and a gentleman sit at a table playing chess, while the lady-in-waiting brings tea and another gentleman watches amused. The work is presented in a painted frame from the late 19th-early 20th century.

Oil on canvas. The scene corresponds to a station of the Via Crucis, during which Jesus falls under the weight of the heavy cross, which he carries on his shoulders as he climbs towards Golgotha. Christ, bent over on the ground, his gaze low and sad, is pursued by the guards, who prod him with the sticks of the lances, and one tugs at him with the rope that he has tied around his waist; a commoner looks at Jesus afflicted, while he supports the heavy wood. The painting shows traces of previous restoration and has been relined. It is presented in a period frame.

Oil on canvas. Central European school of the first half of the 19th century. The painting refers to a graphic by Johann Gottfried Haid (1704 -1767), a German engraver known for his mezzotint copies of works by great masters. The original work is probably attributable to Antonio Mercurio Amorosi (1660 -1738), known for his portraits of popular characters in the "childish" style. Our painting presents several small differences from the reference graphic. Still on the first canvas, it is presented in a mid-1900s frame.

Adoration of the Shepherds

Oil on canvas. A composition replicated several times by disciples and students of the Bassano school, in particular a work by Jacopo Bassano (1515 -1592). In the original scene, here reproduced with fidelity to the composition of the figures but not to the colors, Bassano had approached the theme on the one hand respecting tradition, on the other introducing innovations. In fact, they act as a scenic backdrop of archaeological ruins, a frequent element in Italian iconography of the Nativity. Here we see a row of broken columns on a high pedestal, on the model of Greek temples, against which a hut is leaning. The unusual architectural structure symbolizes the overcoming of paganism and the construction of the Christian church, of which the birth of Jesus is the first act of foundation. The shepherds occupy the center of the scene, and if it were not for the left side of the painting, it might seem like a genre scene with a rural character. The shepherd from behind is kneeling, showing his bare feet, a reminder of his extreme humility, and holding a lamb, the sacrificial animal par excellence, a reference to the future Passion of Christ. On the far right, a curious insert: a crouching boy blowing on a burning ember, in a futile effort to rekindle a flame. In this replica, the yellow and red colors of the robes of the two shepherds in the center and of the boy on the right stand out, prevailing in vivacity even on the figures of the Holy Family and emerging from the ochre hues of the landscape and the architectural structures in the background. The painting was restored and relined in the 19th century, with the replacement of the frame (on it there is contemporary writing in English, probably export addresses). It is presented in a period frame.

Seashore with Boats and Figures

Oil on canvas. Signed lower left. Son of an artist, Cesare Gheduzzi established himself as a landscape painter. Although he lived in Turin, he spent a long time on the Ligurian Riviera, creating wide views of the sea, coastal landscapes and fishermen at work, which he reproduced with fidelity and elegance, while favoring cold colors to create an emotional detachment and favor the scenographic effect (inherited from his father who was a set designer for the Teatro Regio in Turin). It is presented in a contemporary frame.

Scene with Guards in the City, 1875

Oil on canvas. Signed and dated lower left. The English painter George Goodwin Kilburne specialized in genre scenes set in the life of the Victorian upper middle class, with hunting scenes, living room scenes, all characterized by elegance, by the meticulousness of details especially of the female figures. In 1875 Kilburne stayed a few months in Rome, and then traveled to other Italian and European cities. The scene depicted here, actually from 1875, seems to be set in Rome: at a guard post in the city, as the urban glimpse that can be seen from the open door clearly explains, some soldiers wearing the uniform of the Vatican guards are resting. The work is presented in a late 19th-early 20th century frame.

Oil on canvas. The scene of the well-known evangelical episode of the adoration of the wise men is set in an unusual setting: the Holy Family is not in a hut or a stable, but in front of the architectural remains of an imposing marble building; placed on top of a hill, it sees in the background a flat landscape rich in vegetation and inhabited by villages with numerous bell towers. The figures of the kings and the family are depicted with delicate lines, bright but shaded colors, detailed details; moreover in the right corner of the scene appears an emaciated, poor, indistinct figure, a beggar who, hidden in the shadow of the palace, bows to pay homage to the little Jesus, on a par with the rich and powerful kings in his humble devotion. On the back of the canvas there are traces of small restorations. At the bottom right there is a slight cut. The work is presented in a period frame.

Jesus on the Road to Calvary

Oil on canvas. The work is a replica of the one executed by Pierre Mignard and donated to Louis XIV, now preserved in the Louvre Museum in Paris. The dramatic scene is set just outside the walls of Jerusalem; a procession of people accompanies Jesus on his climb to Calvary, which can be glimpsed in the background on the right, with the crosses of the two thieves already erected. Instead, the Cross of Christ is carried by Simon of Cyrene, forced by the guards after Jesus' umpteenth fall, who is rudely urged with a whip to get up. In front of Christ walk the two thieves tied up, accompanied by some servants; on the left is the group of pious women who accompany and support Mary, broken-hearted with grief. In contrast to this group, there is another group of women of the people on the right, who watch in an attitude of pious compassion, averting the gaze of their children from the terrible spectacle. The landscape in the background is harsh and barren, under a sky that is filling with grey and dark clouds. The work was restored and relined in the mid-1900s, and mounted on a new frame. It is presented in a period frame.

The Last Supper 1962

Oil on canvas. Signed and dated lower left. On the back there is a handwritten and signed prayer to Jesus in Portuguese by the artist. Malangatana was a Mozambican artist (poet, painter, musician), as well as a political activist for his country. The work belongs to Malangatana's first artistic period, whose political commitment was not yet evident, and takes up the subject of the Last Supper, which he had already tackled on other occasions in the same years. In this religious subject, Malangatana clearly reveals his closeness to the ritual and tribal culture of his country, but also his knowledge of religion as well as that of Western art, both in the composition of the figures that look at similar Western subjects, and in the compositions of the objects, in particular the numerous and varied elements that fill the table, with a basket of fruit in the center, which recall our Still Lifes. His figures are presented as overlapping and intertwined bodies, and dominated by faces, in which long eyes stand out, with penetrating expressions, which will then become tormented and suffering looks, a symbol of the suffering of an oppressed people.

Doves 1976

Pencils on paper. Signed and dated lower left. Floriano Bodini, a well-known sculptor, engraver and medallist, considered one of the souls of Existential Realism, has also devoted himself to graphics throughout his career. His production features recurring subjects - Bishops, Cardinals, Requiems, Popes, Doves, Ambos - that express thought, trepidation, sometimes anxiety, but also trust, confidence and faith. The dove in particular has represented for Bodini a constant iconographic element in his artistic research, a theme that has been assiduously present in all his production, not only graphic, since the end of the Sixties, up to the last example dated 2004, emblematically considered his last engraved work. The interest in this image is confirmed among other things by his collection of objects that portray doves or whose shape they recall. The result of a research rich in stimuli from different sources, both cultured and popular, the choice of this image has never been trivialized, but has always maintained its high symbolic and formal dignity. The work proposed here is presented in a frame.

Oil on panel. Central European school of the mid-19th century. The work derives from that of Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich (1712 -1774), now preserved in the National Gallery in London, created in 1745 by the German painter looking at the pictorial methods of the Flemish artist Adriaen Van Ostade, a painter of scenes of everyday life. Dietrich's painting became known through the engraving that was made by Jean George Wille. In the scene, framed under an arch leading to a house, two street musicians are depicted in the foreground, playing the violin and the bagpipes, accompanied by several curious passers-by. The work is presented in an early 1900s frame.

Oil on canvas. Northern Italian school of the 17th - 18th century. The widely known biblical scene of the quarrel between the two brothers, sons of Adam and Eve, which then leads to the fratricide of Abel at the hands of Cain, is depicted here within an Italian landscape, rich in vegetation, with the complement of two particular fires. In fact, on the sides of the two figures, which occupy the center of the scene, there are two sacrificial pyres with a burning fire: however, while from Abel's, on the left, a high smoke rises which is sucked up by the clouds above it, to indicate that God has accepted this sacrifice, instead Cain's fire is low, almost crushed on the embers, and no smoke rises from it, a sign that God rejects it. Even the red color of Abel's tunic is intended to emphasize his sacrificial value, his martyrdom. The painting needs cleaning. In a period frame.

Sant'Ilario 1945

Oil on canvas. Signed and dated lower left. Title on the back of the frame. The painter Mario Guerzoni distinguished himself as a landscape painter, proposing glimpses of different parts of Italy, often coastal views. Sant'Ilario is located in the Riviera di Levante, in the Golfo Paradiso, on the slopes of the Ligurian Apennines. Framed.