Antique Painting Country Scene Oil on Canvas Northern Europe '800

Oil painting on canvas. The painting offers a half-length portrait of a young man who, in deshabillé, is lighting his pipe by drawing fire with a stick from the candle placed in front of him, on the table where a sword is also placed: perhaps it is a young knight in a moment of rest. It is precisely the candle, the only source of light in the scene, which suggests that the artist looked to the production of Georges De La Tour (1593 -1652), the French painter of the Caravaggio style who established himself for his "nocturnal" scenes, characterized by figures, usually low-ranking people rather than historical models or high-ranking figures, illuminated by the light of a candle, to create a special atmosphere of intimacy. The painting, restored and relined, is presented in a period frame.

Oil painting on canvas. Central Italian school of the 17th century. In its pictorial style, the painting recalls the production of Angelo Caroselli (1585-1652), a Roman Baroque artist who was a painter, copyist, restorer, but also a pasticheur and connoisseur of art, i.e. creator of paintings "in the manner of"- in “technique” and in the “style” of a specific artistic period or of a specific author, even assembling “parts” taken from different paintings. Initially Caravaggesque, Il Caroselli later developed his own personal artistic language, which was copied by many minor artists. In this work the fixed and almost exasperated expressiveness of the character stands out, whose elegance of the seventeenth-century dress and the almost feminine features of the face with its rosy complexion contrast with the crudeness of Goliath's head, bloody, with the large stab wound that stands out against the mortal pallor. The painting has been restored and relined, retaining the original wooden frame. It is presented in a contemporary wooden frame.

Oil painting on canvas. Italian school of the 17th-18th centuries. A large composition of colorful flowers, in embossed metal vases, and some fruits scattered on the ground, are placed close to a wall overlooking a maritime landscape: the brightness of the sky and sea on the right contrasts with the shaded area on the left, on which the colors of the flowers stand out. The painting, relined and restored, has a significant crack. It is presented in a contemporary lacquered and gilded frame.

Oil on canvas. The large scene, set in a hilly countryside, with a village and ruins in the background on the left, is completely occupied by the compact group of numerous living figures: the shepherd's family is seated in the center, watching his companion who is holding the swaddled baby in her arms; all around, the animals, from the faithful sheepdog to the animals of the flock, sheep, goats and cows, also resting. The great naturalism of the animal figures stands out, which harks back in pictorial style to the works of the school of Philipp Peter Roos, known as Rosa da Tivoli (1657-1706), the German painter considered one of the best animal painters active in Italy in the 17th century, characterized by the peculiar ability to evoke the fleece and the looks of the animals. The work, restored and relined, is presented in a gilded frame in style.

Tamar and Judah

Oil on canvas. Venetian school, 17th century. The story of Tamar, told in the book of Genesis, is a tale of deception, justice, and divine providence. Tamar, widowed of Judah's first two sons, disguises herself as a prostitute to conceive from Judah himself, since he had denied her a third child. Tamar becomes pregnant and, showing the seal, cord, and staff that Judah had given her as a pledge, reveals the truth and forces Judah to admit his guilt and acknowledge the twin sons who will be born, who will enter the lineage of David and Jesus. The story has been widely depicted artistically: Tintoretto's version is famous, later revived by Bassano, and the painting presented here is similar to it in the positioning of the figures and the presence of the dog on the right. Restored and relined in the first half of the 20th century, the painting currently shows slight loss of color. It is presented in an antique frame.

Oil on canvas. Inside a cave, against a backdrop of snow-capped peaks, a holy hermit is absorbed in meditation and ecstatic contemplation, before the Crucifix but with his gaze turned heavenward. The painting shows signs of early 20th-century restoration and relining. It is presented in a period frame.

Oil on canvas. Genoese school, early 18th century. The man, whose thick wig suggests nobility or upper middle class status, wears a burnished metal breastplate, beneath which a lace cravat emerges from his scabbard. The breastplate features several family symbols. The portrait reflects the manner and style popular in Genoa in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, based on the French models of Rigaud. The painting has some paint loss. Still on its original canvas, it was previously mounted on an early 20th-century wooden stretcher. It is presented in an 18th-century frame.

Oil on canvas. Lombard School, 18th century. The composition, set against a dark background, features a large branch laden with bunches of grapes, falling onto a vase of colorful flowers and other fruit—figs and apples—on the ground. Two small birds perch atop the branch. Previously restored and relined, the painting is presented in a late 19th-century wooden frame.

XVIII Century

Oil on canvas. Emilian School, 18th century. Large, varied fruit composition with peaches, pears, cherries, pomegranates, and grapes, amidst which are also a large cabbage, a bunch of tubers, and some carnations. On the left are two glass jars containing fruit preserves. The composition overflows from a wooden tub set on a table in an outdoor setting, with treetops and bushes in the background. The painting has been restored and relined in the past. It is presented in a period gilded 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.

Oil on canvas. Neapolitan school, 18th century. The work derives from one by Francesco Solimena, repeatedly reproduced over the centuries, first by his own workshop and then by other anonymous artists. This copy, however, is depicted in mirror image to the original, and on a rectangular canvas, though inscribed within an oval like the original. The allegorical representation of the American continent is usually depicted as a woman, nude or semi-nude, armed with a bow and arrow, wearing a crown of exotic feathers on her head, flanked by an exotic animal, in this case a parrot, in the act of subduing a man lying on the ground, probably a native. The painting has been restored and relined in the past. It is presented in a period frame.

Oil on canvas. 17th-century Emilian school. Traditional depiction of the Holy Family, half-length in the foreground, with baby Jesus nursing at his mother's breast, looking back at the viewer, indicating that he is already focused on his future. Mary and Joseph gaze tenderly at the Child, while his putative father stands in the background and shadow, so as not to detract from the centrality of the other two figures. Previously restored and relined, the painting is in good condition and is presented in a late 19th-century gilded frame.