ANCIENT PAINTING

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 canvas. Northern Italian school, early 18th century. A landscape of rocky hills features a village of turreted buildings, rising near the seashore, visible in the background on the right. In the foreground, along a small coastal inlet, popular life is bustling, with numerous figures engaged in various activities. The painting shows signs of previous restoration and relining; the crack is currently well-defined, but the color is still intact. The painting is presented in an antique frame, with minor 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.

Oil on canvas. 18th-century Tuscan School. The large scene tells the tragic story of Apollo and Daphne, recounted in Ovid's Metamorphoses. According to myth, the god Apollo, having mocked Cupid, is struck by him with an arrow of love, causing him to fall in love with the nymph Daphne, who is instead struck by a leaden arrow, capable of ending their love. Apollo, struck by the arrow, falls madly in love with Daphne and runs toward her, but the nymph rejects the god and runs away. To avoid being captured, Daphne asks her father Peneus, eponymous god of the river Peneus, to transform her so she will not have to submit to Apollo. Peneus listens to her request, and when Apollo is about to seize her, Daphne transforms into a laurel tree, a plant that from that moment on becomes sacred to the god. The work displays some similarities to the pictorial style of Giuseppe Zocchi (1711-1767), whom the artist likely drew upon in particular in the depiction of trees and vegetation. The canvas features several paint losses, especially in the lower left corner, and a series of holes (of varying sizes along the edges and in the center) caused by previous nails placed for reinforcement. Framed.

The Holy Family

Engraving on paper. The subject is based on a drawing by Guercino (1591-1666), who dedicated many of his works to this subject. Framed.

Oil painting on canvas. Roman school of the 17th century. The large scene represents the famous episode halfway between real history and legend, told for the first time by Tito Livio in his "Ab urbe condita libri" (the books of the "History of Rome from its foundation"). To populate the newly founded city, Romulus, founder and first king of the city, resorted to a stratagem: he invited the Sabines, who lived in the nearby city of Curi, to the Consualia festival, in honor of the god Neptune, and kidnapped their women. The painting depicts the moment in which the Romans kidnapped the Sabine women, forcibly taking them away from their companions, under the eyes of the king, who remained hidden behind the columns of the temple of the deity, the god Neptune, recognizable by the trident. In the center at the rear is the obelisk, which for the Romans acquired a symbolic meaning as war booty and testimony to imperial strength. The many figures intertwine with each other, chasing each other, overlapping, creating plays of bodies and chromatic effects. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in an antique frame.

Oil painting on canvas. Of a bucolic and serene flavor, the scene set in the countryside on the edge of the village that can be glimpsed on the left, sees a woman and her son who, near a stream, await the shepherd with his flock with a lunch basket . Restored and relined, the painting is presented in an antique frame.

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.

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 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.

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.

Oil on canvas. The scene corresponds to a station of the Via Crucis, during which Jesus falls under the weight of the heavy cross, which he carries on his shoulders as he climbs towards Golgotha. Christ, bent over on the ground, his gaze low and sad, is pursued by the guards, who prod him with the sticks of the lances, and one tugs at him with the rope that he has tied around his waist; a commoner looks at Jesus afflicted, while he supports the heavy wood. The painting shows traces of previous restoration and has been relined. It is presented in a period frame.

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. The Valencian saint Vincent Ferrer (Italianized Ferreri, 1350 -1419) was an apocalyptic preacher belonging to the Dominican order, who worked particularly hard to resolve the Western Schism, being a member of the Benedictine party. A preacher of great fame, he was endowed with a strong personal charisma, enjoying the attention of both the masses and the powerful; he crossed much of Europe on foot, and led an austere lifestyle. An eminent scholar, he wrote many treatises and a collection of sermons that were a tool for training and evangelization for generations of religious people. After his death, however, his fame was spread above all by the prodigies and miracles performed through his intercession. Iconographically, Vincent Ferrer is depicted wearing the Dominican habit, with his index finger pointing towards the sky and the flame of the Holy Spirit burning on his head. Very often he holds a cross or a lily, which is present in this work. The painting has been restored and relined in the past.

Jesus on the Road to Calvary

Oil on canvas. The work is a replica of the one executed by Pierre Mignard and donated to Louis XIV, now preserved in the Louvre Museum in Paris. The dramatic scene is set just outside the walls of Jerusalem; a procession of people accompanies Jesus on his climb to Calvary, which can be glimpsed in the background on the right, with the crosses of the two thieves already erected. Instead, the Cross of Christ is carried by Simon of Cyrene, forced by the guards after Jesus' umpteenth fall, who is rudely urged with a whip to get up. In front of Christ walk the two thieves tied up, accompanied by some servants; on the left is the group of pious women who accompany and support Mary, broken-hearted with grief. In contrast to this group, there is another group of women of the people on the right, who watch in an attitude of pious compassion, averting the gaze of their children from the terrible spectacle. The landscape in the background is harsh and barren, under a sky that is filling with grey and dark clouds. The work was restored and relined in the mid-1900s, and mounted on a new frame. It is presented in a period frame.

Oil on canvas. Northern Italian school of the 17th - 18th century. The widely known biblical scene of the quarrel between the two brothers, sons of Adam and Eve, which then leads to the fratricide of Abel at the hands of Cain, is depicted here within an Italian landscape, rich in vegetation, with the complement of two particular fires. In fact, on the sides of the two figures, which occupy the center of the scene, there are two sacrificial pyres with a burning fire: however, while from Abel's, on the left, a high smoke rises which is sucked up by the clouds above it, to indicate that God has accepted this sacrifice, instead Cain's fire is low, almost crushed on the embers, and no smoke rises from it, a sign that God rejects it. Even the red color of Abel's tunic is intended to emphasize his sacrificial value, his martyrdom. The painting needs cleaning. In a period frame.

Oil on canvas. In an Italian landscape, the scene is centered on a group of commoners who are trying to get away from the besieged and burned city, carrying their goods on the cart and leading the small flock; a small group of enemy soldiers, however, has chased them and is trying to stop them, with their weapons drawn. On the back of the frame there is a pencil inscription that attributes the work to Jan Both (1618 -1652), a Dutch painter known above all as the author of Italian landscapes, often animated by figures. The painting has been restored and relined in the past. It currently requires cleaning. 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. Second half of the 18th century. On the back there is a hand-written cartouche, dated May 1835 and indicating several important families (Castelbarchi, Fraganeschi, Castelbarco Litta Albani) from Northern Italy, who probably owned the work. The painting shows a Nordic landscape, of a rather barren countryside, crossed by a watercourse; a path, on which some wayfarers are passing, leads to the village at the foot of the hill. The painting is presented in a period frame, with several missing parts.

Oil on canvas. It depicts a landscape rich in vegetation, with trees with leafy foliage and crossed by a torrential watercourse: In the background, farmhouses and flocks can be glimpsed in the countryside. On the back there is an old cartouche with the indication "Flemish" and a price in Lire. Restored and relined, it is presented in a period frame.

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. 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.