ANCIENT PAINTING
 

Oil on canvas. The man portrayed is identified as Giovan Battista Stampa di Gravedona, a jurist, as cited by the writing at the top left, which declares his position, and by the heading of the letter he is holding. The Stampa family, originally from Gravedona on Lake Como, belonged to the local notable class and, by virtue of this, they also played a certain public role. In the painting the man is depicted sitting at his desk, among the papers of his work, stern in the face as his position required. Restored (obvious signs of restoration due to old breaks in the canvas, marked crack) and relined, the painting is presented in an adapted antique frame.

Oil on canvas. Roman school of the second half of the 17th century. Tomyris (or Tomyris) was a queen of the Massagetae, an Iranian people who lived in Central Asia east of the Caspian Sea, in the 6th century BC. Her story is told by several ancient writers, first and foremost Herodotus. According to tradition, she was most famous for having defeated and killed the Persian emperor Cyrus the Great when he invaded her country to try to conquer it: after the battle in which Cyrus was killed, Tomyris searched for his body, beheaded him and immersed his head in a skin of blood. This is the moment depicted in the painting, which contrasts the queen's beauty and elegance with the cruel and bloody gesture she is making. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a late 19th century wooden frame.

Oil on canvas. The woman depicted in the scene can be traced back to Porzia, the Roman noblewoman and wife of Brutus, who lived in the 1st century BC: according to legend, she committed suicide by swallowing a burning coal, and it is in this fatal moment that she is depicted here. The painting is very close to the pictorial methods of the painting of the same name from the Cignani school, attributed to his pupil Marcantonio Franceschini and preserved at Palazzo Tozzoni in Imola. The figure of Porzia, placed in an interior with classical elements, occupies the entire field of the scene, and is depicted sitting in front of the burning brazier, in the act of putting the coal in her mouth; her expression reveals the suffering of the gesture she is making, but also her determination, her gaze looking into the distance already places her far from the life she is leaving. The painting has been restored and relined. It is presented in an antique 18th century frame.

Oil on canvas. Roman school of the second half of the 17th century. Lucretia is a mythical figure of Roman history, who lived in the 6th century BC, wife of the nobleman Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus and known as a vituperative woman. Having suffered violence from Sextus Tarquinius, son of Tarquinius Superbus, Lucretia preferred to die and stabbed herself with a dagger. In the painting, the woman has just finished writing the letter in which she tells her husband and father of the shame she has suffered and asks to be avenged, revealing the name of her rapist: in the meantime, a page offers her the knife with which she will stab herself immediately afterwards. The painting, restored and relined, is presented in a wooden frame from the late 19th century.

Landscape with Shepherds and Herds

Oil on canvas. Signed lower right. In a splendid classical landscape, with green hills overlooking a watercourse, a stream in the foreground that then becomes a wide river in the distance, are inserted the figures of a shepherd and a shepherdess who lead their flock to water. The pastoral scenes of this type characterized the production of the Dutch artist Michiel Carree, who was court painter to the King of Prussia in the first decades of the 18th century. The painting, in the first canvas, is presented in a contemporary golden frame, in carved and gilded wood.

Oil on canvas. Roman school of the second half of the 17th century. The scene tells an episode of the love story between the queen of Egypt and the Roman triumvir Anthony: Cleopatra, to demonstrate her wealth and seduce the handsome general, organizes a sumptuous banquet, during which she chooses a pearl of inestimable value and dissolves it in vinegar, then offering the drink, considered a powerful aphrodisiac, to Anthony. In the painting the queen is preparing to put the pearl in the cup: the ribbon to which the pearl is tied is particular, reminiscent of the one in the painting of the same name by Carlo Maratta (1625 -1713). Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a wooden frame from the late 19th century.

Oil on canvas. The sacred representation, rich in figures, is placed outside a ruined architectural structure that houses the donkey and the ox, in a countryside landscape with mountain slopes in the distance. The Holy Family, at the center of the scene, receives the visit of the three Magi from the East, recognizable by their sumptuous clothes: the first kneeling before the Child, with the crown resting on the ground as a sign of humble homage; the second behind him on the right, is taking the urn with the gift he brings from the hands of the servant; the third, just dismounted from his horse, even further back, waits sitting on the edge of the well. All around, multiple figures of the kings' entourage are depicted, together with groups of shepherds who climb up the ruins to watch the scene. Above, the two angels with the writing Gloria hover, while above the hut the comet shines. The chorality of the scene immediately stands out, where no one stands out or excels, but all the characters have their role that revolves around the figure of Baby Jesus. The canvas was restored (small patch on the back) and remounted on a stretcher in the mid-1900s, as well as placed in a frame from the same period.

Oil on canvas. The sacred representation follows the traditional representative canons of this subject: the long transversely arranged table is presided over in the center by Christ, who is announcing to the apostles the imminent betrayal by one of them; while all the other apostles are turned toward the Master in the gesture of asking if the accusation concerns them ("Sono forse io?"), Judas, in the foreground on the left, turns his back to Jesus with a gesture of desperation, while he clutches in his hand the bag of thirty pieces of silver, the price of the betrayal. At the bottom center, in front of the table, a small dog looks at the traitor: the animal symbol of fidelity perhaps wants to be the last attempt to stop Judas, before definitively committing the betrayal. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a period frame. L

Oil on canvas. This is a copy of a painting by Anthony Van Dick (1599 -1641), who created this subject in three versions during his stay in Italy – between 1621 and 1625, which were later widely copied. The composition of the two figures is faithful to the original, with the contrast of Mary's gaze, which turns sorrowfully towards the sky, thinking of the fate of her Son, against the determined and confident gaze of the Child, who turns away from the composition. The imposing column in the background is missing from the original, here monochrome. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a period frame.

Oil on canvas. Christ, seated in prison, wearing a red cloak and a cane in his hands, also receives the crown of thorns, to complete the symbols of mockery of his declared royalty, the reason for his death sentence. The scene presents lively and well-defined figures; the central Christ, suffering and resigned in the expression of his face, is illuminated by the light that enters from the opening in the rock face, while the two soldiers surround him. The painting on the first canvas is inscribed in three twisted wooden elements, carved with leafy and gilded motifs.

Oil on the table. Northern European school of the 17th century. The scene depicts an episode in the life of Scipio narrated by Tito Livio and Valerio Massimo. Publius Cornelius Scipio, later known as Scipio the African, in 209 BC. during the Spanish campaign, after the capture of Cartagena he received as a personal gift a beautiful virgin, who was in the group of hostages. But he, listening to the pleas of his family, respected her by sending her back to her parents and fiancé, with the only recommendation that her betrothed work for peace between Rome and Carthage. In the representation Scipio is in the center, seated on his throne, and turns to the left, to the suppliant parents of the girl, while with a merciful gesture, he indicates to them to take back his daughter, standing on the right, flanked by her boyfriend. All around, soldiers and followers of the king. The scene is full of figures, bright and colorful, and underlines the positivity of the king, a central and powerful character, but capable of meekness and clemency. The restored painting has been reinforced on the back with wooden strips. It is presented in a stylish frame.

Oil on canvas. Lombard school of the late 17th-early 18th century. The rich composition offers a large bouquet of colorful flowers in an embossed vase, next to a bowl full of porcini mushrooms and a bunch of grapes: with different intensities of color, the various naturalistic elements emerge from the completely dark background, creating effects of lights and shadows. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in an early 20th century frame.

Oil on canvas. Flemish school of the 18th century. Lively and animated scene, depicting a popular festival in the village: a group of men and women in front of the village inn, recognizable by the sign, dance accompanied by musicians on the left, while the people around observe, drink, chat. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a gilded frame in period.

Oil on canvas. French school of the 18th century. The scene depicts the moment in which an elegant young woman arrives at the site of an outdoor party: she is getting off her country carriage, pulled by dogs, gallantly helped by a young gentleman. Around her are the maid, still on the carriage, holding the parasol, the other girls in her entourage and the innkeeper who welcome the lady, and are preparing to set up the banquet with the food contained in the basket. The bright colors of the characters enliven the rural setting, while the white dress of the protagonist stands out and illuminates the scene. The painting, in the first canvas, shows traces of restoration and small losses of color. It is presented in an early 1900s frame.

Oil on canvas. In the beautiful composition you can see, resting on an inlaid wooden sideboard, a basket full of cherries, some of which are scattered on the top, and a plate full of red currants, mixed with leaves and a few cherry blossoms. A goldfinch rests on the handle of the basket; to frame the composition, on the right a large bouquet of multicolored flowers in a vase, on the left a red curtain. The bright colors of the fruits, the flowers and the curtain stand out, while the support cabinet blends into the dark background, as does the little bird, distinguishable from the dark background only by the white plumage on the wings and the red outline of the eyes. The work is part of the large 17th century Emilian production of this highly decorative type of subject. The painting, restored and relined, has a marked crack and drops of color along the edges.

Oil on canvas. Lombard school of the late 17th-early 18th century. The rich composition offers a large bouquet of colorful flowers in an embossed vase, next to two large pumpkins and mixed fruit (grapes and peaches): with different intensities of color, the various naturalistic elements emerge from the completely dark background, creating effects of lights and shadows. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in an early 20th century frame.

Oil on canvas. It is the portrait of a man in armor, accompanied by the writing at the top right "Paulus Maria Castellanus LT Gare". The word Castellanus could be the surname, very common and identifying the inhabitant of a castle, not necessarily the lord but a member of the family. The painting is presented in an ancient frame.

The Tale of Apollo and Marsyas

Oil painting on canvas. Northern Italian school of the seventeenth century. The large canvas derives from an engraving of 1562 by the Venetian Giulio Sanuto, who faithfully reproduced the homonymous work by Bronzino (1503-1572), currently preserved in the Hermitage; compared to the original, the engraving added the group of Muses and modified the landscape background by introducing views of the villages. The work is divided into four scenes, which must be read from right to left. The first scene depicts the musical contest between Apollo and the Silenus Marsyas, who played the flute so well that he was considered superior to the same god; the two contenders are performing, the god with the lyre and the silenus with the flute even upside down (to increase the difficulty of the undertaking), in front of King Midas and the goddess Minerva, recognizable by her attributes, the helmet, the spear and the shield. In the second scene Apollo is intent on skinning Marsyas, to punish him for having won the musical contest; lean on the ground next to him, his cloak and lyre. In the third scene, it is King Midas who is punished by the god for having preferred Marsyas to him: Apollo is putting the donkey's ears on Midas, while Minerva is watching. Finally, the fourth scene, in the foreground on the left, is characterized by a particular figure, identified in the faithful servant and barber of the king: since Midas had ordered him to keep the secret on his donkey ears, not being able to let off steam otherwise, he dug a hole in the ground and yelled into there his secret; in that place, however, legend has it that a bush of reeds grew that with the wind whispered "King midas has donkey ears", thus revealing the dreaded secret. The painting has been previously restored and relined, but currently needs any further color recovery. On the back in pencil there is an old attribution to the Ferrara school ("Ercole da Ferrara"). It is presented in a late 19th century style frame.

Oil on canvas. Northern Italian school of the 17th-18th century. In a large, rather barren hilly landscape, which widens and fades to the right, there is a high rock, shaped like an arch, under which there is Saint Jerome penitent, depicted in the act of prayer and adoration of the Cross. In accordance with the canons of 17th-18th century painting, the figure of the Saint, adapted to the iconography in his clothes and attitude, is however inserted in an unsuitable landscape, close to that of the painter who drew on the landscape reality known to him. . The painting, restored and relined, is presented in a period frame.