PAINTINGS ONLINE | ANCIENT AND CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY - Page 11

Oil painting on canvas. Italian school of the eighteenth century. Rich composition with basin full of variegated flowers, fruit bowl with peaches, a cut pumpkin and a goldfinch that picks grains from the bunch of grapes placed on the table. It is part of that vast production of composite still lifes which in the eighteenth century, deprived of any allegorical or symbolic meaning, was purely aimed at a decorative purpose; he took up multiple, composite, lively inanimate objects, often flanked by a living element, an animal like the goldfinch in this work, which maintained the link with life and everyday life. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a period frame.

Copy from Guido Reni

Oil painting on canvas. The work is one of the numerous replicas, with some variations, of the famous subject created by the famous Bolognese painter Guido Reni (1574 -1642) and his workshop. The composition, which sees the Virgin in prayer bent to adore the sleeping Child, is considered an invention of the brilliant vein of Reni, which, following the great success among collectors of the time, was then taken up by other authors of the seventeenth century, among which the name of Giovan Battista Salvi known as "Il Sassoferrato" stands out. The two most famous variants of this fascinating scene see the Virgin with her hands joined in prayer, adopted by Salvi, or the one with her hands on her chest, like this one, typically by Reni. Other variations concern the position of the head of the sleeping Christ Child, turned upwards as in this version, rather than reclining to one side; finally the background fabrics change. However, even in this replica the intensity of the scene stands out: it is transversely occupied by the body abandoned in repose of the child, where the divine nature is subject to the human one in sleep; above it, inclined in a protective and at the same time contemplative gesture, the body of Mary, which expresses all the maternal tenderness but also, in the gesture of the hands, the adoration of the incarnate mystery represented by the little son. The lively colors of the fabrics - the pillow on which Jesus is laid, the curtain behind it, the Mother's clothes - bring out the brightness of the flesh tones. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a late 19th century frame.

Oil on canvas, applied on hardboard in the second half of the 1900s. The painting takes up the pictorial ways of the eighteenth century, with a decorative cut. In a peaceful landscape, with an architectural structure on the right and the green valley with the river opening on the left, two figures walk along the path, a woman with her bundle of clothes and the wayfarer with a saddlebag and a stick. The work is presented in a chronicle style.

Oil painting on canvas. The scene depicts a chamber concert: in the centre, the spinet player, behind him the recorder player and on the right side the maestro who conducts, who listens intently and moves his right hand to accompany the musical movements; behind the trio, ladies and gentlemen listen smiling and participating. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a 19th century frame.

Lombardo-Veneto

Sculpture in linden wood, painted in polychrome and depicting Saint Paschal Baylon (1540-1592) in adoration of the Eucharist, which he holds in his left hand in a monstrance now without the sunburst case. Recognizable, as well as for the typical attitude of his iconography, also for the Franciscan habit and beardless face. The proclamation to Blessed in 1618 constitutes a post quem term for the realization of the sculpture, confirmation also given by the stylistic code of the carving, in particular by the thick locks of hair, the fleshy mouth and the heavy eyelids, characteristics of the sculpture of the first half of the Six hundred.

Interior scene

Oil painting on canvas. Not signed, but on the back there is a dedication "Alla signora Clelia Mazzioli, con stima Gaetano Bellei 23 gennaio 1909". The big scene, set in a popular kitchen, sees a woman reading cards to two girls, who ask for explanations by pointing to the figures that appear and seem to compare them with a text leaning on the chair. The work recalls the painting of Gaetano Bellei, due to the strong realism with which the painter painted above all scenes of daily peasant life; he is considered a master of the depiction of human affections and of human reactions and sensations. The painting has slight drops of color. It is proposed in a stylish frame.

Oil painting on canvas. The biblical episode depicted refers to the story of Daniel, the prophet in the court of King Darius the Mede who, for having prayed to his God, was condemned to be thrown into the lions' den. But God saved Daniel, sending an angel to close the jaws of the beasts, and the king pardoned Daniel by instead condemning those who had denounced him. The subject has been depicted several times in art, for the fascination linked to history but also for its exotic flavor due to the presence of wild beasts; in particular we remember the version by Rubens of 1615, where the prophet is depicted naked in the underground pit, while he prays ardently, surrounded by a crowd of ferocious lions. The work presented here instead proposes a version centered on the dialogue between the prophet and the angel, who face each other, standing out with the vivid colors of their robes against the dark background of a prison; there is only one lion, meekly crouching at the angel's feet, and therefore the spiritual and salvific dimension of the biblical event prevails. According to the famous art historian Maurizio Marini, a specialist in the painting of Caravaggio and Baroque art, who had had the opportunity to view the painting years ago, the work could be attributable to Antonio Maria Vassallo (1620 -1664) for the compositional and chromatic choices. The painting, restored and relined, is presented with a listello frame.

Figure in Rest 1969

Pen on paper. Signed lower right. Accompanied by photo authentication from the Mario Tozzi Archive. In Maestro Tozzi's extensive production there are many drawings, such as this one presented here, made with different techniques (ink, pastel, pencil, sanguine), dedicated to the human figure: in his dry and stylized style, Mario Tozzi outlines stylized, refined figurines in their silent and discreet geometry, favored by the absence of color, which brings out the forms on the white paper. Even in his pictorial production, Mario Tozzi's favorite subjects are, classically, figures and still lifes, but both figures and death are a set of solid geometric elements, the sphere, the cylinder, the cone, etc. The bodies are elementary, essential in the lines and details, powerful, statuesque, composed of just modeled solids, while the still lifes are a celebration of Euclidean geometry such as the jugs, bowls, flasks which are paradigms of volume and geometric rigor . Mario Tozzi's compositions are influenced by Cubism for certain cuts, by Metaphysics for certain architectural insertions and by Abstractism for the insertion of geometric figures. The work is presented in a frame.

Oil painting on canvas. Italian school of the eighteenth century. In the portrait of this gentleman, the dressing gown made of an elegant floral fabric stands out in particular, in shades of brick red that recall the color of the wig. The severity of the pose and the austere gaze of the character almost contrast with the almost frivolous elegance of his clothing. The painting, restored and relined, is presented in a frame from the early 1900s.

Landscape with Figures

Oil painting on canvas. The large composition proposes a landscape with a large tree in the centre. to surmount with its sparse branches the countryside below, crossed by a stream and animated by various figures of commoners intent on activity or at rest; at the top right stands a fortress, which dominates the valley. Already attributed to Peruzzini from the Marches, the painting can certainly be traced back to his circle, due to the rapid and poorly aggregated pictorial strokes. Antonio Francesco specialized in landscape painting, undergoing the influence of Salvator Rosa and landscape painters such as Pietro Montanini and Pandolfo Reschi, and further influences also came to him from Nordic painters active in Italy, above all from Pieter Mulier known as il Tempesta. In his first works the originality of his painting can already be distinguished given a rapid drafting and an intense and brilliant chromatic timbre. The long artistic bond between Antonio Francesco Peruzzini and Alessandro Magnasco began in the early 1990s, following their meeting in Milan, where Peruzzini had settled; from this period onwards his painting seems to fall apart, through forms that become more dynamic and light, almost fantastic, to finally arrive at a style marked by an ever greater disintegration of the forms of nature and their movement. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a period frame.

Allegories of Prudence and Justice

Oil painting on canvas. Italian school of the seventeenth century. The two paintings are probably part of a group depicting the four cardinal virtues, namely Justice, Prudence, Temperance and Fortitude. The allegories are represented in female figures, bearing some of the attributive symbols of the virtues they represent. Justice is recognized by the two most common attributes, the balance, symbol of equity and balance, and the sword, sign of distributive power. Prudence also has two symbols with it: a mirror, a symbol of circumspection that allows us to avoid the pitfalls of evil (it allows us to look behind us) or even a symbol of self-knowledge; and a snake, symbol of eternity and time, but also a symbol of prudence (in the Gospel Jesus says :"I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be prudent as snakes and simple as doves"). The two canvases, previously restored and relined, are in good condition. They are presented in an antique carved and lacquered wooden frame, with current small defects and damages.

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.

Winter landscape

Pastels on paper applied to canvas. Signed lower left. The large landscape is completely dominated by the play of colour: divided into two hemifields given by the sky and the earth (a mountainous land where sporadic fir trees sprout), it sees the pinkish blue of the sky prevail above, under the greenish blue of the snow on the ground , two shades of the same color range that then meet in the skyline of the mountains. Cinotti was a landscape painter who was an exponent of Italian Divisionism, whose painting is characterized by a material and pasty application with touches of spatulated color. In coeval frame.

We created Atypical Systems 1963/74

Serigraphs and photos. The work consists of three silk-screened cartoons (in cardboard box) with the text in English (original title "We have created atypical systems") and six photos portraying the artist, individually framed. On the back of the three serigraphs in English, numbered in sequence, there are the edition number 13/15, the date 1974 and the artist's signature; they also accompany three unsigned serigraphs with the text in Italian. Cioni Carpi, Milanese artist, engaged in conceptual and minimalist art, produced works in which imagination, sensitivity, expressive flair were fundamental. His creativity was also expressed in photography, installations, video, drawing, writing, the artist's book, as well as painting. The dimensions indicated are those of the single frame.

Italy late 19th century

Female bust and liberty column in white statuary marble, Italy, late 19th century. Bust in old-fashioned dress with floral elements placed on the chest; column decorated with ivy that descends transversely from the supporting surface.

Oil painting on canvas. Central Italian school of the late 1600s-early 18th century. The composition proposes a female bust in the centre, portrayed as if it were a sculptural effigy, for the monochrome that evokes marble; it is surrounded by a garland of colorful flowers, which stretch from twisted branches above, while a landscape fades in the background. This type of portrait came from a solution born in the Flemish environment and spread in Italy by Daniel Seghers. Restored and relined, the painting has slight drops of colour. It is presented in an antique 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.

Mixed media on canvas. The large scene, painted in the unique reddish-pink range, features two large figures on the right, while the entire left side is occupied by a desert landscape, with the waves of the dunes fading into the distance. The two figures depict a seated horseman, wearing a turban and Saracen dress, being fed by a maiden in Western dress, who is handing him a tray laden with food, while on the shelf below is a basin of water, ears of corn and various fruits. This could be one of the many representations of the story of Angelica and Medoro, recounted by Ariosto in Orlando Furioso, which tells of the love between the Christian maiden and the Saracen knave wounded in a clash, who then fled together to Catai, thus triggering Orlando's madness. The work is presented in a frame.

Oil on the table. The picturesque landscape has a wide path in the foreground on the right which winds between fronds and green meadows, where flocks graze; a small family of peasants passes along the path, all engaged in the transport of goods: even the girl carries a large bundle on her head, while the mother carries the basket with her newborn son in the same way! In the background, the plain extends wide to fade towards the distant hills and into the clear and rarefied sky, which gives off an almost pink light. The fir table of the painting has undergone restoration and parqueting. The work is presented in a mid-1900s frame.

Pencil, charcoal and white lead on paper. Signed (Amalia Bianchi?) and dated at the bottom right. Very effective is the use of different pigments that creates a play of chiaroscuri that underlines the figure. The portrait come in a 19th century wooden frame with leather leafy and floral inserts; it has missing parts and color drops.

Landscape with Figures and Bread Oven

Oil painting on canvas. Signed lower left. The landscape view shows in the foreground a mountain path that leads to a bread oven, where a woman prepares the bundles of wood for the fire, while a traveler approaches on the back of a donkey; in the valley the viaduct over the river that leads to the village, surmounted by other barren peaks. Micheroux, belonging to the Posillipo school, or the nineteenth-century school of Neapolitan artists dedicated to landscape painting, created several glimpses of the Campania hinterland, but little is left of his production and little is known about his life. The painting has some small drops of color. It is presented in a late 19th century frame.

Oil painting on canvas. Central European school of the eighteenth century. Under a blue sky, a large, rather barren landscape is depicted, with the edge of a wood opening onto a rocky valley, with a river flowing between the rocks and snow-capped peaks in the background; in the foreground, scattered, some figures of shepherds with their flocks. On the stretcher at the back of the work, a cartouche refers to Poussin, the artist representing seventeenth-century classicism whose pictorial methods inspired the author of the painting. The painting, relined, is presented in a period frame.