ANCIENT PAINTING

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.

Enamels on copper. Limoges Manufactory. Limoges enamel is a particular method of coloring objects, for both sacred and secular use and subjects, usually applied to a copper base, but sometimes also to silver or gold. It was popular in Limoges, in southwestern France, for several centuries and, with varying degrees of success, up to the present day. This plaque depicts the Crucifixion: the green Cross stands out against a blue background, while the three figures—Christ, Mary, and John—and the two angels in the upper circles are outlined with incisions and colored only in certain areas, their robes and halos. The plaque is presented in a 19th-century 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. Formerly attributed to Jan Wouwerman (a 17th-century Flemish painter), but actually painted later, the painting can be placed within the Roman context due to its landscape features: a wide river flows slowly through lush countryside, with rolling hills in the distance; several figures of wayfarers pass along the path that runs alongside it, enlivening the scene. The painting was restored and relined in the mid-20th century. It is presented in a period frame.

Tempera on panel. Transylvanian school, early 19th century. Saint Nicholas, identified by his abbreviated name on the sides, is accompanied by Mary and Jesus in glory. The Romanian iconographic school has more popular connotations than the Byzantine or Greek Orthodox, particularly in the less severe and more human, less aloof faces and in the more earthy color choices. The panel features several paint losses.

Church in Ruins 1782

Watercolor and ink on paper. At the bottom left is the inscription "IF Gout Dell. 1782"; in the center is the number 4, indicating that it belongs to a series of subjects. The small glimpse frames the ruins of a Gothic-style church, in the middle of an equally abandoned village. Presented in a frame.

Oil on canvas. On the back is a description with an earlier date, though not plausible. The material analysis also suggests a later work. It depicts an elderly lady, with a stern gaze, composed and haughty in her pose, dressed in refined yet understated clothing. The painting shows signs of restoration and relining.

Oil on canvas. 18th-century Italian school. Amidst a rather barren coastal countryside, a small village overlooked by an imposing and massive tower, perhaps a silo or aqueduct. In the foreground, a herdsman rides his cows. The work has previously been restored and relined. It is presented in a late 19th-century 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. Emilian School, second half of the 17th century. Rose of Lima, a Peruvian nun (and currently the patron saint of Peru) of the Third Dominican Order, who lived between the 17th and 18th centuries, is depicted according to her traditional iconography, dressed in the Dominican habit, while in prayer welcoming the mystical vision of the Baby Jesus, who, according to tradition, makes her his bride by offering her a crown of roses; here the roses are placed on the stone in front of the girl. On the back of the work is a cartouche identifying the previous owners as the Bezzo Guazzone family, residents of the Salabue Castle in Ponzone Monferrato (Alessandria). The cartouche records the painting's entrustment for participation in an exhibition until October 4, 1926. The painting has previously been relined. It is presented in a contemporary frame.

Oil on canvas. 18th-century French school. The elegant lady poses draped in a green velvet cape trimmed with fur, gold trimmings, and lace; languidly leaning with one arm on the marble balustrade behind her, she holds a small dog on her lap, which also appears to be posing. Restored and relined in the late 19th century, the painting currently shows some slight paint loss. It is presented in a late 19th-century gilded frame, which also has some losses and gilding.

Oil painting on canvas. Central Italian school of the late 1600s-early 18th century. The composition proposes a female bust in the centre, portrayed as if it were a sculptural effigy, for the monochrome that evokes marble; it is surrounded by a garland of colorful flowers, which stretch from twisted branches above, while a landscape fades in the background. This type of portrait came from a solution born in the Flemish environment and spread in Italy by Daniel Seghers. Restored and relined, the painting has slight drops of colour. It is presented in an antique frame.

Oil on canvas. Mittel-European School. There is a No.S monogram on the back and numbers probably from an inventory. The painting reminds of pieces from the Austrian area. It represents a battle between knights, it is dominated in the foreground by the confrontation between two of them. The painting comes from a historical collection from Lombardy. The painting is still in its first canvas and original framing; there are patches on the back and signs of antique restorations, it has also undergone an additional pictorial and reperativr restoration, in our lab. Well marked crack. The painting is presented in an original and coeval frame, lacquered.

Oil on panel. Flemish School, 18th century. In a country landscape with a path winding through twisted trees, a group of travelers—men, women, and children—and the pack mule, also kneeling on the ground, are resting seated at the edge of the path. The work is presented in an early 20th-century frame.

Trinity

Oil on canvas. The original, painted in 1592 and exhibited in the Risaliti Chapel in Santa Croce, Florence, was enormously successful, so much so that numerous copies were produced, including later and non-autograph copies. This beautifully crafted eighteenth-century version is smaller in size, perhaps intended for personal devotion in a private chapel. The work depicts the Trinity in glory, with the Father supporting the dead body of the Son, above whose head the Holy Spirit hovers; surrounded by angels and archangels, and at Jesus' feet, still resting on the earth, are depicted the instruments of torture and death on the cross. The painting has been restored and relined in the past. The work is presented in a beautiful contemporary frame, with rich floral decorations (the decoration at the top left is missing).

Feast day in the Village

Oil on canvas. On the back of the painting there are some labels: one from an English market (probably an auction from the early 1900s) bearing the title; a second from a Milanese gallery in via Montenapoleone (from the 1930s) and finally a label from an important private collection. The scene proposes a moment of celebration in a Nordic village: in the center of the street men and women dance and chat, while others sit at tables drinking and playing, children and animals chase each other around; the atmosphere is lively and cheerful. The pictorial style and the methods of execution are compatible with the production of David Teniers III (son of David Teniers II the Younger), a Flemish painter who in his production includes various scenes of festivity and village life. Restored and relined at the end of the 19th century, with a frame from the same period.

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.

Virgin Mary with Child

Oil on canvas. The work is a reinterpretation of the famous painting by Francesco Trevisani, now housed in the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica in Palazzo Barberini. In this version, the small images have been added to the lower right and left. The virgin Mary is depicted engaged in a dual gesture: with one arm she tenderly supports the sleeping baby Jesus, leaning against her, his hand resting on a red apple, a symbol of salvation (the apple recalls original sin); with the other hand, Mary holds a book, presumably a prayer book, which she reads with intense concentration. Thus, both Mary's human, carnal, and spiritual dimensions are depicted. Having previously undergone restoration and relining, the painting is presented in a period frame.

Mountain Landscape with Herd

Oil on canvas. First half of the 19th century. Signed R. Biedermann on the back. This artist, who lived on the Swiss-German border, is known to have painted several landscapes with flocks, reminiscent of the lands where he lived. The painting is presented in a late 19th-century gilded frame.