PAINTINGS ONLINE | ANCIENT AND CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY - Page 3

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

The sculpture described here, carved from a block of Swiss pine in the early 17th century, depicts Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. The composition is reminiscent of the early 16th-century engraving by Marcantonio Raimondi, who depicted the Saint in monastic habit, holding a crosier, a Bible in his hand, and a demon in chains at his feet. The sculpture was intended for a niche and therefore unfinished on the back. The standing saint is depicted in slight motion, holding an open Bible in his right hand and the beginning of the chain that binds the demon at his feet in the other. Unfortunately, the central section of the chain is missing, but it is completed with a collar; the demon is subdued by the Saint, who rests his foot on it. Although the colors and gilding have some gaps and soot, we can see that the saint's complexion is rosy, while the demon is reddish, almost brown, due to exposure to the flames of the infernal world. Note the Saint's splendid robe, which, despite depicting a monastic habit, is lacquered in shades of red with gold embroidery on the inside and gold with bluish embroidery on the outside. The robe is no longer the humble hermit's, but that of the saint in celestial glory, bathed in light, in sharper contrast to the figure of the devil.

Ornaments and Ancient Vases

Hand-colored etchings. Created by Michelangelo Pergolesi in 1777-1778; the colored decoration is a posthumous work, dating back to the 19th century. Pergolesi designed and created furniture, fireplaces, ceilings, chandeliers, doors, and wall ornaments in the neoclassical style, working primarily in England. The drawings for these etchings are numbered and likely belong to the "Disegni per Vari Ornamenti per 70 Piatti" (Designs for Various Ornaments for 70 Plates), published between 1777 and 1801. The two etchings are presented in exposed frames.

River Landscape with Figures

Oil on canvas. Signed lower right. The subject is part of the painter's strongly naturalistic oeuvre. A native of Modena, he grew up artistically in and around Milan, places that were frequent subjects in his landscape work. This landscape also evokes the Lombardy plain. The work is presented in a period frame.

Oil on canvas. In this work, the Holy Family addresses a young friar in a Franciscan habit, likely a reference to the commissioner: the Child's outstretched hands reach out to embrace him, under the protective gaze of Mary and Joseph. Previously restored and relined, the painting is presented in an antique 18th-century frame, regilded.

Saint Sebastian

A late 17th-century sculpture in the round depicting Saint Sebastian tied to a tree and pierced. The saint, depicted wearing a short robe around his hips, is tied to the trunk and a branch, with one arm raised as he gazes at the viewer, who is metaphorically piercing him with arrows. The sculpture is cast in the round and painted in polychrome, with painted sections restored. Note the restoration of part of the left foot and the lack of arrows.

Seashore with Figures

Watercolor on cardboard. Signed lower right. Paolo Sala, born and trained in Milan, distinguished himself as one of the most important landscape painters of his time, as well as a view painter of the many Italian and foreign cities in which he worked. He favored watercolors, but also painted extensively in oils. He uses quick, broad, overlapping brushstrokes, in an Impressionist style, playing with color and light to create evocative atmospheres, as in this maritime view of figures on a beach busy sifting sand. The painting is presented in a period 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.

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.

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.

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. 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.

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. 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.

Mad Cow

Indian ink on paper. Signed at the bottom; title at the top. The work is accompanied by a photo certificate from the Galleria Pace in Milan. A sculptor, engraver, and medallist, Minguzzi also created numerous drawings, often sketches for sculptures. The drawing is presented in a frame.

Oil on canvas. Trace of signature at the bottom. In a romantic vein, the painting depicts a small girl tenderly leaning on her large dog, with whom she exchanges a tender glance. The background is a garden, with a sky fading into the light of the distant sunset. The painting shows signs of previous restoration and relining. It is presented in an early 20th-century gilded frame.

Color lithographs. Painter and illustrator Marcus C. Stone made a name for himself with his soulful portraits and literary scenes. These two lithographs depict scenes set in the gardens of elegant villas, one depicting two couples engaged in romantic conversation, the other enjoying a tea ceremony. The two prints are presented in elegant contemporary gilded wood and fabric frames.

Tempera on pith paper. Chinese, Canton, Qing dynasty, ca. 1860. A collection of twenty-eight paintings depicting Chinese courtiers, scholars, and merchants. Originally kept in an album, they are presented here in a beautiful frame decorated with embroidered floral fabrics. Pith paper is a thin, translucent material derived from the pith of the Tetrapanax papyrifer tree, or "pith plant," native to China and Taiwan. Pith paper entered painting to meet the growing demand for small, inexpensive, and easily transportable souvenirs following the massive growth of trade with China in the first quarter of the 19th century. Because many were sold in albums and thus protected from light, they retain their vibrant colors even today.

Sketches for Aida

Mixed media on paper. Seven signed and dated sketches, and, at the top, a reproduction of the artist's signature. These are works by the prominent Italian painter Remo Brindisi, whose painting, based on a descriptive and realistic approach in his early works, added expressionist nuances in his later works, giving rise to his own neo-figurative language. His work is always imbued with social and political intentions. Brindisi also worked as a sculptor, illustrator, writer, set designer, and cultural curator. From a private collection in Milan. His collaboration on the grandiose sets and costumes for the 1974 production of Aida at the Verona Arena was particularly noteworthy. A series of seven signed and dated sketches from this work is presented here. Framed

Oil on walnut panel. The painting follows early 16th-century Tuscan models (for example, the pictorial style of Domenico Puligo), but is a slightly later production and by a weaker hand, typical of "peripheral"production. The absolutely traditional subject features the Madonna breastfeeding the Baby Jesus, framed by a curtain; the infant, sucking at his mother's breast, looks toward the viewer, while the mother gazes tenderly at her son. The monogram CP appears on the back of the panel, likely indicating the artist. The panel has several small paint losses.