PAINTINGS OF THE '900

Handwritten and autographed letter by the artist, dated 1951. The letter is addressed to Gino Ghiringhelli, founder of the historic Il Milione art gallery in Milan. In this letter, Rosai tells the gallery owner the titles of his paintings to be reproduced in the catalog, drawing sketches to match the title and date of production. In the composition presented here, the collector from whom the work originates has combined the letter with the cover and pages of the catalog with the aforementioned reproductions. The composition is presented in a frame.

Horse in a 1950s Landscape

Marker on rice paper, glued to cardboard. Signed at the bottom. Below is a dedication from the artist (Greetings dear - Aligi). The work is accompanied by a photo certificate from the Sassu Foundation, archive number PNV49. The protagonist of this drawing is once again the horse, the artist's favorite animal. He was fascinated by the energy and dynamic strength of these animals, which represented life itself and freedom, which Sassu expressed through the twisting of their figures. Sassu's works, which include painting, sculpture, and ceramics, showcase the power of horses in scenes of racing, battles, or immersed in nature, often with an emphasis on dynamism and plastic energy. Framed work.

Landscape with Figures and Cattle

Oil on canvas. The work, signed Sorolla lower right and dated 1928, harks back to the style of Joaquim Sorolla y Bastida (1863-1923), the renowned Valencian painter who chose to reflect the Mediterranean light in the everyday scenes of his city, in a unique style known as luminism. His works are characterized by their plein air painting, depicting simple people often framed in fishing and sea scenes, capturing customs and traditions, as well as the freedom with which they reflect light and color. In particular, the urban beaches of Valencia, animated by numerous figures, including bathers and others, were a recurring setting in many of his paintings. In this work, the scene is indeed that of a beach, where figures with some cattle pass by, while beached boats and bathers can be glimpsed in the background. The work, which is effectively pictorial, despite being very close to Sorolla's manner and style, is not recognized as authentic by the artist's official archive. It is presented in a period frame.

Still Life, 1976

Oil on hardboard. Signed and dated lower right. On the back is a label with the artist's stamps, detailing the work. A Parma-born artist who also lived in Milan for many years, Proferio Grossi created numerous still lifes, paintings of objects in which he sought an aesthetic sense, which he alternated with abstract painting. This composition also belongs to the figurative style, a linear and orderly composition, both in the placement of the objects and in the color choices, of everyday objects indicative of peasant life. The work is presented in a frame.

River Landscape with Figures

Oil on canvas. Signed lower right. Ivan Karpoff, of Russian origin but raised and established as an artist in Italy, gained recognition for his paintings, which oriented themselves toward the Italian Impressionist realism of the late 19th century; he devoted himself primarily to landscapes and portraits. In this work, he depicts a glimpse of flat countryside crossed by a wide river; a woman and her child walk along the path that runs alongside it. Framed.

Landscape with River Glimpse 1906

Oil painting on canvas. Signed lower left. The Roman-born artist Cesare Maggi established himself as a pointillist landscape painter, portraying alpine landscapes in the Engadine and Aosta Valley, often enlivened by the inclusion of figures and animals. Becoming a friend of the painter Giacomo Grosso in Turin in 1901, he then successfully oriented himself towards the portrait genre, setting aside the pointillist technique. While still favoring high mountain views, he broadened his subjects by also engaging in seascapes and still lifes. In this work, still from the first period, Maggi portrays a glimpse of the countryside crossed by a calm river, bordered by rows of bare trees and small grassy hills, behind which the farmhouses overlook: already no longer linked to the techniques divisionist, the work is rather characterized by dense and opaque mixtures of color, in which the earth, the water and the farmhouses are superimposed in a continuum broken only by the band of sky above. The work is presented in a period 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.

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.

Inlay made with various woods. The inlay depicts the figure of a cellist in eighteenth-century dress. Francesco Ferrario was an accomplished cabinetmaker, influenced by the Neoclassical and Art Nouveau movements. Having trained in drawing at the Brera Academy, after collaborating with the finest artists of the time, he opened a workshop in Milan, first on Via Tenca, and then in 1927 on Corso Sempione. A label on the back of the work places it among the workshops of this latter location. The work is presented in a period frame. A version of this work appears in Bianca Tosatti's monograph, "I Ferrario maestri di tarsia," published in 2000.

Genre Scene at Court

Oil on canvas. Signed lower right. Antonio Zavaga was an Italian painter between the 19th and 20th centuries, specialized in 18th-century style painting, mainly of a gallant and salon setting. The scene of this work is also set in a rich 18th-century style hall: a lady and a gentleman sit at a table playing chess, while the lady-in-waiting brings tea and another gentleman watches amused. The work is presented in a painted frame from the late 19th-early 20th century.

Oil on canvas. The scene of the well-known evangelical episode of the adoration of the wise men is set in an unusual setting: the Holy Family is not in a hut or a stable, but in front of the architectural remains of an imposing marble building; placed on top of a hill, it sees in the background a flat landscape rich in vegetation and inhabited by villages with numerous bell towers. The figures of the kings and the family are depicted with delicate lines, bright but shaded colors, detailed details; moreover in the right corner of the scene appears an emaciated, poor, indistinct figure, a beggar who, hidden in the shadow of the palace, bows to pay homage to the little Jesus, on a par with the rich and powerful kings in his humble devotion. On the back of the canvas there are traces of small restorations. At the bottom right there is a slight cut. The work is presented in a period frame.

Sant'Ilario 1945

Oil on canvas. Signed and dated lower left. Title on the back of the frame. The painter Mario Guerzoni distinguished himself as a landscape painter, proposing glimpses of different parts of Italy, often coastal views. Sant'Ilario is located in the Riviera di Levante, in the Golfo Paradiso, on the slopes of the Ligurian Apennines. Framed.

Pian Rosa

Oil on board. Signed lower right. On the back in pencil a further signature and the location Pian Rosa. The title identifies the large glacier visible in the background, in the gap that opens between the plants of the plain in front of the Alpine chain. Pian Rosa (or Plateau Rosa) is a glacier located in the Swiss Valais in the Pennine Alps, just beyond the Italian-Swiss border, in the Matterhorn group. Luigi Comolli, an artist from Milan, distinguished himself for his landscape painting, mainly of northern Italy, and for his still lifes. The impressionist influence can be found in his works, drawn from his formative path in Paris in his youth. The work is presented in a frame.

Grotesque with Angels

Fake fresco on canvas. In imitation of classical frescoes, the canvas features a grotesque decoration, characterized by fantasy plant forms intertwined with human figures, animals or bizarrely deformed masks, in this case cherubs and birds, inserted in architectural references, as in this case the fake support base.

Torrefazione Caffè Pernigotti, 1924

Color lithograph. Signed and dated 1924 top right. Printed by the printer Barabino & Graeve of Genoa. This is an advertising poster for the well-known Pernigotti company of Novi Ligure, today renowned above all for the famous Gianduiotti chocolates, but which began with the production of various confectionery and similar products. Ettore Mazzini, a Genoese portrait and landscape painter, also created various advertising illustrations for important Ligurian companies (we recall the poster for the naval, thermal, electrical and mechanical constructions of the Ansaldo group of Genoa). The poster presented is in good condition, with humidity stains and a cut in the paper. Framed.

Landscape with Figures, 1930 ca.

Oil on canvas. Signed lower right. Ivan Karpoff, of Russian origins but raised and artistically established in Italy, was appreciated for his painting oriented towards the Italian impressionistic realism of the late 19th century; he devoted himself mainly to landscapes and portraits. In this work he offers a glimpse of the countryside and hills overlooking a lake, with two peasant figures intent on harvesting. On the back of the canvas there is a dedication: "Campanini... to the Manara spouses Luciano and Adriana, Milan 28 October 1939 XVII". The painting is presented in a mid-1900s frame.

Interior with Figures and Animals, 1917

Oil on canvas. Signed and dated lower right. In Giuseppe Solenghi's extensive production, rich in lyricism expressed with delicate and refined tones and strokes, the urban landscapes of Milan or the Venetian lagoon views prevail, but there are also several glimpses of the countryside, mainly Lombardy, as well as rustic interiors. In this work the artist portrays the interior of a peasant house, where humans and animals coexist: the scene is pervaded by a serene atmosphere of family everyday life, in which the warm light of the sun filtering through the open door creates plays of light and shadow on the earth tones of the interior. The painting is presented in a mid-20th century frame.

Oil on panel. Signed lower right R.lo Pellegrini. It is probably a work by Romolo Pellegrini, who lived between the 19th and 20th centuries, an artist of landscapes and still lifes with delicate colors. Here we see a bright, flat countryside, with a flock of sheep grazing in the meadows, watched over by the shepherd. The work is presented in a contemporary frame, with missing parts.

The Birth of Venus, 1935

Oil on canvas. Signed and dated lower left on the left lateral canvas. The large composition is made up of three separate canvases, the central one developed vertically (dimensions 220 x 128 cm) and rounded on the upper margin, the two lateral ones developed horizontally and shaped at the corners (dimensions 150 x 328 cm). The central canvas is dominated by the figure of Venus, who emerges naked from the sea foam, with one arm raised to cover her eyes to protect herself from the light of dawn; on the two lateral canvases, a group of tritons, sirens, sea nymphs, sea monsters, led by the god Poseidon, recognizable on the left by the trident he holds, witness the event with amazement and joyful exultation. The figures stand out against the background of sea and sky, fused in a luminous continuum of shades of blue, into which the pink light of dawn insinuates itself, illuminating the scene. Trained at the school of Cesare Tallone, Brignoli learned from him the naturalism deriving from the Venetian tradition, the observation of nature, the decisive brush stroke, the strong contrasts of light. Moreover, after several trips to Africa, begun in 1922, Brignoli approached orientalist painting, but he shunned forms of exotic rhetoric, to instead relive the new subject with a careful research of colors and the effects of light on the landscape. This work, belonging to the artist's already "African" period, is influenced by this imprint, in the bright and clear chromatic choices. Due to its size and the composition of the three canvases, it has a great scenographic impact: coming from a large villa in Brescia, where it was displayed on the imposing staircase, it was probably conceived and created specifically as a custom-made decorative element. The canvases are presented in contemporary gilded frames, missing some parts.

Landscape with Figures

Oil on canvas applied to board. Signed lower left. On the back there is a cartouche with expert authentication dated 1944 and signed by a Milanese art critic. In the vast plain, green but with few trees, which recalls the Lombard plains, two farmers work near a pond, close to their farmhouse; in the background you can glimpse the mountain peaks of the Alpine chain. The subject is part of the production of strong naturalistic matrix of the painter, born in Modena but artistically raised in Milan and its surroundings, places that were frequent themes of his landscape production. The painting is presented in a period frame.

Painting on canvas. Unlike most contemporary banners, this one is hand painted and not printed on canvas. The scene is divided into three parts, enclosed within a frame painted with floral motifs and separated by the design of small columns. In the center are depicted the Madonna with Jesus on the throne, on the sides two angels with the appearance of girls. The painting is then framed by a trimming.

Auronzo di Cadore

Oil on canvas, 1954. Signed and dated lower right. Further signature and title on the back. In a contemporary gilded frame.

Tempera on canvas. Signed Mimy and dated lower right. The scene, set in an elegant living room, features a group of ladies and gentlemen entertaining themselves musically during a reception: while a woman plays the spinet, a young couple dances. The work is presented in a period frame, with a large lack in the upper part.

Landscape with Figures

Mixed media on cardboard. Signed lower left. Stamp of the artist's studio on the back. The painter of Apulian origins Giuseppe Casciaro, painter and teacher at the Institute of Fine Arts in Naples where he trained, was essentially a landscape painter and produced in particular views of the surroundings of Naples, Irpinia (Nusco) and Puglia. He preferred the pastel painting technique in which he excelled. Here is a glimpse of a Mediterranean countryside, crossed by a path with wayfarers. It is presented in a period frame.