1940s Backlit Mirror

Female Portrait 1898

Oil on canvas. Signature, location (Venice), and date (1898) are at the lower right. The Venetian painter Vittorio Messori was also a skilled portraitist: he painted portraits of prominent figures from the Veneto region where he lived and worked. Here, a stern and dignified lady in deep mourning is portrayed, dressed strictly in black, although set against a green background that illuminates and highlights her. The painting is presented in a contemporary gilded wooden frame.

Oil on canvas. 19th-century Italian school. The myth of Procris and Cephalus is a famous and tragic story of love, jealousy, and betrayal recounted in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Cephalus, a handsome hunter, and Procris, princess of Athens, were involved in a series of misunderstandings and traps that led to her accidental death. In particular, the scene depicted here depicts the myth's tragic epilogue: Cephalus finds Procris dying, accidentally wounded by her unsuspecting husband's spear. The scene depicted here is modeled after Carlo Francesco Nuvolone, a leading exponent of the Lombard Baroque, for the same dramatic setting of the figures, set in a very different landscape, here uninhabited by other figures. The painting has been restored and re-stretched with a new professional stretcher frame.

Oil on canvas. The large painting depicts the Madonna seated on a stone bench with the baby Jesus in her arms, before a large curtain, with a sketchy landscape in the background. Despite its considerable size, the pictorial quality suggests an inexperienced hand, suggesting a handcrafted work created for devotional purposes for some popular place of worship. The canvas has several stains.

Oil on canvas. At the lower left, the date 1890 and an unidentified signature. (William Barry?) A broad landscape framing a valley between moorland hills, composed of rocks and low vegetation, through which a river flows. The predominantly brown tones of the vegetation prevail over the clarity of the river, further obscured by the reflection of the gray clouds. Framed in period style.

Oil on canvas. This large composition, inspired by ancient models, features game resting on the branches of a tree along a path, along with various fruit, especially large bunches of grapes. In the landscape behind it, on the left, stand the architectural ruins of a classical-style temple. The work is presented in a frame.

Oil on canvas. In the foreground, the ruins of a large classical-style building with imposing columns occupy the scene. In the background, across a stream, is a small castle with a bridge, shaded in blue-white hues that connect the water with the sky. On the front canvas, the painting shows traces of previous restorations. It is presented in a late 19th-century frame, regilded.

Oil on canvas. Italian school, late 18th century. Portrait of a prelate in his cassock, posing before the curtain that hides the fluted columns of his place of worship. The facial features are well-detailed. The painting has been relined in the past. It has a small loss of paint in the upper right corner. In a late 19th-century frame (requires restoration).

Oil on canvas. 18th-century Italian school. In a lush, hilly landscape, stand the turreted walls of a building overlooking a pond; several women bathe in it, while a young man fishes. The painting was restored and relined in the late 19th century; it currently has some slight paint loss in the upper right corner. Presented in an early 20th-century gilded frame.

Oil on canvas. Mary is depicted here standing in adoration of her little son, who lies on the ground resting on a cushion. Both figures are crowned, a reference to their royalty. Mary is dressed in white with a blue cloak, her head surrounded by twelve stars, and a crescent moon is hinted at at her feet: these signs correspond to her representation as the Immaculate Conception. This representation therefore recalls Mary's dual role: she who is preserved from original sin from the first moment of her conception, and who is Queen of Heaven, adores her Son, placing herself at the service of his plan of salvation. The painting has undergone a restoration in the past, rather crudely on Mary's face, and has been relined. Presented in a frame on the islet.

Oil on canvas. 19th-century French school. Portrait of a young woman whose clothing reveals her membership in a working-class, though not rural, class. The work is presented in a 19th-century frame.

Oil on panel. The view depicts a solitary church perched on a rocky outcrop overlooking a stream that plunges into a deep, dark gorge; the surrounding peaks, though lush with vegetation, are devoid of life and evoke adventurous scenes. The chromatic and lighting effects are dominated by earthy tones. The work is characterized by an overall academic-romantic tone, organized according to a scenographic style. The panel shows some small paint losses and signs of a previous frame.

Oil on canvas. Central European School, early 20th century. In imitation of the 18th-century style, the painting depicts a stretch of coastline with several wrecks washed up; some figures are setting fire to one of them, others are observing from the shore. The painting is presented in a period frame.