Four Portraits Of Commander Kings Tempera On Canvas 18th Century
Features
Artwork title: Quattro ritratti di re condottieri
Artistic school: North Italy School
Age: 18th Century / 1701 - 1800
Subject: Portrait/Face
Artistic technique: Painting
Technical specification: Tempera
Description : Quattro ritratti di re condottieri
"Tempera grassa" on canvas. North Italian School. It is believed that the first large pieces were part of the decorative apparatus of a big palace. The technique used, a greasy tempera applied on canvas with a really light preparation and a quick hatching without precise references to the figures, underlines the fast execution, aimed at obtaining pieces for purely decorative purposes in a short time. The four portraits depict the figures of kings, recognizable by different royal attributes (crowns, sceptres, royal garments), but represented as commanders, with armours and/or weapons. The peculiarity is that the characters belong to different eras and places, as if it was an homage to the great royal figures of history. The identification of the characters is uncertain, although it is possible to hypothesize some names: the king with the poor metal crown, but with very pointed cusps, who holds a sword with a hilt in the shape of a bird's head and who is covered with a mantle of rough cloth and a simple armour from which fur elements appear, could be Attila, king of the Huns; the oriental figure, with a turban adorned with precious gemstones, could be an Ottoman sultan, such as Suleiman; the warrior with the Ancient Greek armour, with the helm surmounted by a dragon and a breastplate richly decorated with friezes, could be Alexander the Great; lastly, the young king in a full plate armour and the crowned "hat of arms" helmet, used during the late Middle Ages, refers to a 15th century ruler, who is placed in one of the royal families derived from the Sacred Roman Empire by the necklace with the imperial eagle. The four paintings, still in their original canvas, show signs of restorations and integrations, with some small patches on the back. They come from a historical collection from Bologna. They are presented in frames in style.
Product Condition:
Fair condition. Wear consistent with age and use. Any damage or loss is displayed as completely as possible in the pictures.
Frame Size (cm):
Height: 195
Width: 150
Depth: 7
Artwork dimensions (cm):
Height: 180
Width: 135
Depth: 7
Diameter: 13