Group of Etchings by Marco Alvise Pitteri, 1742

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.

Oil on chestnut panel. Central European school, 16th century. The traditional scene shows the Baby Jesus, in the arms of his Mother, with whom he exchanges a tender gaze, preparing to slip the wedding ring onto the finger of Catherine of Alexandria, symbolizing the mystical marriage the young saint desired to enter into with the Divine Child. The saint is depicted, as per her customary iconography, wearing a crown and regal robes and jewels, to emphasize her princely origins. The painting is likely the work of a Flemish artist inspired by Italian models of the 15th and 16th centuries. The panel shows signs of previous restoration.

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.

Oil on canvas. Northern Italian school of the 17th century. In this Holy Family, the central figure is Mary: sitting in the center of the scene, she turns her face to her left toward Joseph, listening intently and concentratedly to what her companion is reading to her from a book; meanwhile, the woman's arms are lovingly covering the little Jesus with a cloth, who is sleeping peacefully in the cradle to the right of his mother. The Child's face is also illuminated and radiates its light toward his Mother. In the background is an Italian landscape. The figures appear harmonious and balanced in the movements of their bodies and the whole scene emanates a tranquility and domestic serenity, very earthly. The painting was relined at the beginning of the 20th century. Traces of previous tears and slight losses of color are visible. It is presented in a golden frame from the early 20th century (loss of gilding).

Oil on canvas. Northern European school of the 18th century. Near a small group of buildings, along the dirt road, a scene of popular life takes place, animated by various figures: in the foreground on the right, two hunters offer their prey and some fruit to a pregnant woman, who is traveling on horseback accompanied by her companion; in the background, a couple of women sit on the ground resting with their children, one of the two is breastfeeding; and again groups of people chatting, while others are climbing on the haystacks covered under the barn. The figures stand out for the bright colors of their clothes against the almost monochromatic background of earth tones, with the buildings blending into the flat and barren landscape. The painting, still on the first canvas, shows signs of a small tear on the back. It is presented in a period frame.

Oil painting on canvas. Italian school of the eighteenth century. Within a rather barren landscape, with architectural ruins on the left and snow-capped peaks in the background on the right, some shepherds pass along the path, leading their flocks of cows, sheep and goats. In the Nordic landscape setting, the pinkish hue of the sky and the pastoral character of the scene give that idealistic atmosphere typical of eighteenth-century landscape painting, in which the satisfaction of feeling prevailed rather than the intention of realistic transposition. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a period frame.

Oil on canvas. The landscape of a countryside rich in vegetation and in the background a mountain range of sharp peaks opens up, is animated by the presence of three washerwomen, who are going to the river with wheelbarrows full of clothes, while a traveler crosses the small bridge that crosses the small stream. The work is executed in the style of Antonio Peruzzini (1650 - 1724), probably by one of his students or followers. Peruzzini was a key figure in landscape painting of the 17th-18th century, in which he started from a 17th-century expression to then arrive at an interpretation of the movement and color typical of the Rococo, using lighter and brighter tones and inserting a sort of vitality in his paintings. The use of color is particular, especially in the hatching of the human figures, which are outlined by thick brushstrokes of material, which make them emerge in the foreground from the landscape. The painting has already been restored and relined in the past, and is currently in good condition. It is presented in a style frame.

Landscape with Water and Shepherds

Oil on canvas. In a green hilly countryside, where a stream flows, some shepherds sit whistling in the shade of the trees, while they check the flock that is drinking. Thick dark clouds gather in the sky. The style recalls the production of Marco Ricci, a painter from Belluno who became famous for his undoubted talent for naturalistic and architectural representation. His landscapes, still of a distinctly seventeenth-century taste, are already lit up by powerful and emotional lights, by dry and twisted trees, rocks and towers, cumulus clouds that suddenly break into vague flashes of blue, a complex repertoire that transfigures nature into a dramatic and restless representation. He became a point of reference for several other artists contemporary to him, who took up his style, as in this work. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a period frame.

Winter Landscape with Figures

Oil on canvas. In a wintry countryside landscape, sprinkled with snow, on the bare, dark, arid nature, a path winds through completely bare trees that leads to the village, and some wayfarers pass along it, while on the side some woodcutters are at work. A sky full of dark clouds looms over everything, although on the left there is a patch of blue. The style harks back to the production of Marco Ricci, a painter from Belluno who made a name for himself for his undoubted talent for naturalistic and architectural representation. His landscapes, still of a distinctly seventeenth-century taste, are already lit up by powerful and emotional lights, by dry and twisted trees, rocks and towers, cumulus clouds that suddenly break apart into vague flashes of blue, a complex repertoire that transfigures nature into a dramatic and restless representation. He became a point of reference for several other artists contemporary to him, who took up his style, as in this work. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a period frame.

Oil on canvas. Venetian school of the 18th century. Large landscape of pre-Alpine hills, crossed by a stream that reaches the mill in the right foreground, while numerous figures of commoners animate the path that leads to the building, busy with various occupations; in particular, in the center foreground, the two fishermen with their nets stand out. Formerly attributed to Giuseppe Zais (1709 -1784), a Venetian painter who became famous for his large landscapes animated by figures, characterized by an airy luminosity and a care in the description of nature. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in an early 20th century frame.