PAINTINGS ONLINE | ANCIENT AND CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY

Figures in the Garden, ca. 1860/1870

Oil on canvas. Signed lower center. Eleuterio Pagliano was an engraver and painter of the Romantic period. He is also remembered as a hero of the Milanese Risorgimento, and was thus nicknamed the "painter-soldier". Initially, he focused on historical subjects with a patriotic flavor, but later his work shifted to Romantic subjects, genre scenes of bourgeois daily life, filled with graceful figures engaged in recreational activities. In this work, Pagliano presents a relaxing countryside scene, with gentlemen and ladies relaxing by playing cards or reading, while children play at climbing trees. The soft luminosity, the harmonious colors of the figures, which harmonize with the greenery of the countryside, and the sense of relaxation of the figures stand out, creating an overall scene of serenity and tranquility. The work is presented in a contemporary frame.

Part of an education of the Virgin Mary

This sculpture represents part of the depiction of the scene of the Virgin's education, which traditionally features Saint Anne seated with a book in her lap, while the young Mary stands beside her, intent on learning. In this case, the statue depicts the young Virgin, the rest of the composition missing. The young woman is depicted with one hand raised and the other at her breast, as if to announce the act of blessing along with the divine motherhood that will characterize her life. She wears a long red dress covered by a blue cloak.

Female Portrait

Oil on cardboard. Signed lower left. Noè Bordignon, an artist from the province of Treviso, devoted himself both to easel painting, creating scenes of rural life and portraits of popular figures, with great psychological renderings of some of the period's most significant figures, particularly children, adolescents, and mothers, and to frescoing sacred subjects for the churches of his area. In this work, Bordignon portrays a young commoner, creating a portrait of strong expressive intensity, despite the highly naturalistic rendering of the figure. Framed.

Oil on canvas. Country landscape with a small stream flowing by, near which stands a cluster of rural buildings; several figures on the path. The work shows traces of previous restoration and relining. Dirt stains. It is presented in a contemporary antique frame.

Interior with Flowers 1995

Oil on canvas. Signature, date, and title on the back. The painting expresses the Morandi-esque style of Maurizio Ligas, an artist who emerged in the 1970s and 1980s but who adopted an anti-modern style, playing on the luminosity of his subjects. Framed.

Christ the Worker ca. 1950

Oil on canvas. Signed lower right F. Venzo SJ (Societas Jesu, the motto of the Jesuits). This is a work by the Jesuit friar Mario Venzo, a Venetian painter who, after painting during his bohemian youth in Paris, devoted himself to monastic life in 1940, while continuing to paint. This work depicts a young worker in the foreground, inside a modern artisan's workshop, his head surrounded by light: this is likely a modern projection of the young Jesus at work in his father's workshop. The style of the work harks back to Venzo's pictorial period before 1953, the year after which his work became more vibrant with bright, vivid colors and a more stylized figure, while still often focusing on sacred subjects. The work is presented in a frame.

Oil on canvas. Country landscape featuring a small stream, boats traversing it, and flanked by small clusters of rural homes. In the foreground, a woman and her child are walking along the path. The work shows traces of previous restoration and relining. Dirt stains. It is presented in a contemporary antique frame.

Harvest Scene 1959

Oil on canvas. Signed and dated lower right. The Brescian artist Eliodoro Coccoli "was not by vocation an easel painter" but rather established himself primarily as an interior and exterior decorator, creating secular frescoes for various Lombard villas and sacred subjects for numerous churches. His canvases are very few, and mostly date from before 1922, the year in which his decorative production greatly expanded, but numerous sketches and several preparatory canvases for frescoes remain. This grape harvest scene may also be part of this type of production, although it is defined and detailed in its details. Coccoli's style cannot be traced to any particular movement; indeed, he is considered an expert in eclecticism: he selects the figurative repertoire best suited to the client's needs, adapting his style to the subject and the architectural characteristics of the location. Furthermore, it demonstrates a refined, at times virtuosic, technical expertise. The work is presented in a frame.

Oil on canvas. A pleasant view of the small village of Omegna, in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, located at the northern end of Lake Orta; the Alpine peaks rise behind it. Village life is a hive of activity, with numerous figures both on land and afloat in small boats. The painting shows signs of restoration on the back.

Interior with Fireplace

Oil on canvas. Signed lower left. This painting presents a recurring theme of the Florentine painter Mario Fattori, who depicted moments of peasant and pastoral life, primarily in Tuscany. The scene here is set in a large, sparsely furnished room in a farmhouse, with a large fireplace in front of which all the female household chores take place: while the pot simmers on the stove, the women sew, card wool, and cook, while the chickens roam freely. The work is presented in a contemporary frame.

Portrait of a Dame with Dog, 1934

Oil on canvas. Signed and dated lower left. A work by the Hungarian painter Géza Kövesdy, who primarily painted female portraits and landscapes, sometimes enlivened by naive figures. The female figure with a small dog is a recurring theme, almost a symbol of the social status of these wealthy bourgeois ladies. The pictorial style is influenced by Impressionism, in the nuances and interplay of light. The painting is presented in a contemporary frame.

Oil on canvas. 17th-century Italian school. The Old Testament episode of Lot and his daughters has been widely depicted in paintings, albeit at different points in the story. In this case, the man and the two girls are depicted fleeing from Sodom, a city destroyed by God to punish the depravity of its inhabitants; for his righteousness, Lot is warned by an angel to flee with his family. The three figures are depicted in the foreground, half-length, with the father looking forward, urging his daughters to do the same, lest they incur the divine punishment that had already befallen his wife, who was turned into a pillar of salt for disobeying God's command not to look back. The canvas, previously relined, currently has several paint losses, requiring restoration. It is presented in an early 20th-century wooden frame.

Italy, XIX Century

Wooden statue depicting the Virgin Mary and Child.

Landscape with Lake Glimpse

Oil on canvas. Signed lower left. Little biographical information is available about Angelo Rovida, a landscape painter from Lodi who painted landscapes and urban views, primarily in Northern Italy. The painting is presented in a contemporary guilloché frame.

Oil on canvas. Unidentified signature lower right. An elegant and refined composition of roses in delicate shades of pink and white, arranged in a gilded metal basin, sits on a small table along with pomegranates, a symbol of fertility and prosperity, an embossed silver plate, and a casket containing a pearl necklace. The background, in a single, earthy, nuanced color, highlights the light effects of the flowers and objects.

Maurizio Arena Directs..." 1991

Watercolor and marker on paper. Signed lower right, with the addition of the self-description "almost blind"; title at the top. The work is accompanied by a photo authentication from the Luciano Minguzzi Museum Foundation. A sculptor, engraver, and medallist, Minguzzi also created numerous drawings, often sketches for sculptures. The drawing is presented in a frame.

Crayons on paper. Genoese school, 17th century. Formerly attributed to Luca Cambiaso (1527-1585), the drawing is considered slightly later. It depicts two cherubs picking fruit from a tree, an allegory of life. It is presented in a period frame.

Oil on canvas. Central Italian School, 17th-18th century. In a landscape of barren, rocky slopes, a herd of oxen and goats is depicted in the foreground, tended by a pair of shepherds riding donkeys. The work is presented in a period frame. Previously relined, it has some minor paint loss.

Oil on canvas. Unidentified signature lower right. Decorative panels with various flowers—roses, carnations, violets—scattered freely on a light background. There are several small, scattered losses of color, the background color predominating. Framed with slat frames.

Bull

Watercolor and charcoal on paper. Signed lower right. The work is accompanied by a photo certificate from the Luciano Minguzzi Museum Foundation. A sculptor, engraver, and medallist, Minguzzi also created numerous drawings, often sketches for sculptures. The drawing is presented in a frame.

Oil on canvas mounted on panel. The three figures are depicted only in the upper part, highlighting their faces: in the center, Mary with the baby Jesus, on whom the work's light is focused; both are looking toward the baby John, recognizable by his iconographic symbols (the staff surmounted by the Cross and the animal skin covering him), who, more in shadow in the lower right corner, receives Christ's blessing. The painting is presented in an early 20th-century frame.

Oil on canvas. Signed and dated lower right. Crescent-shaped, originally intended as a panel above a door, the canvas features a pleasant yet melancholic composition of loose roses arranged on a raised painted surface. The work is presented in a period frame.

Oil on canvas. Signed A. Dronsart at the bottom left. A delicate composition of roses in a vase, in soft, pale hues that play on nuanced effects. Presented in a contemporary gilded frame.

Figure with Flowers

Oil on canvas. Signed lower left. Additional signature, stamp, and declaration of authenticity on the back. Influenced by Expressionism during his Parisian years, Fantuzzi placed a strong emphasis on the expression of emotions and moods in his works. Color dominates his canvases in its boldest palettes, typically cool tones of blue, green, and purple, creating sometimes stark contrasts. Fantuzzi's main themes are the loneliness of the metropolis and the difficulty of communicating in interpersonal relationships; he often paints poorly defined figures and eyeless faces. Framed.