ANCIENT PAINTING
 

Oil on canvas. French school of the seventeenth century. The scene, set at night in the garden of a villa, of which you can glimpse the ornate facade on the right and in which the fountain gushing with cherubs stands out, under a dark sky and further obscured by heavy clouds, proposes two figures who entertain each other in conversation : an elderly modestly dressed is sternly admonishing a seated young man, richly dressed, who seems instead to make the gesture of mea culpa with his hand. The physiognomy and the gestures of the two characters, together with the style of the clothes, would refer to the philosopher Aristotle who was called to the court of Macedon to be the tutor of the young Alexander, the future king then known as Alexander the Great: according to what Plutarch recounts in his “Parallel Lives”, the young Alexander was a brilliant pupil, so much so that he was also initiated into the most profound and esoteric Aristotelian doctrines, from which derives the aura of mystery and profound interiority that shines through in the work presented here. The painting has been restored and relined. It is presented in a stylish frame. The painting, restored

Oil painting on canvas. At the top right are the name of the man portrayed and his age, 78 years old. The man's habit and the attitude of prayer, in front of the Crucifix, with the meditation book in his hand, identify him as a prelate. The surname Albertoni is widely spread in Italy, in various families that started from Lombardy to extend to Parma and then to Rome. The painting, restored and relined, is presented in a period frame.

Oil painting on canvas. Northern Italian school of the 17th-18th century. The work of a devotional nature, sees the Virgin Mary seated on the clouds and assisted by two angels who support her garments, is venerated by two saints, kneeling at her feet: on the right the young woman in princely clothes, at whose feet is resting a royal crown, it refers to Elizabeth of Hungary; on the left, the saint holding the Infant Jesus in his arms can be identified as San Caetano da Thiene. Particular is the play of glances between the various characters, which intertwine together with the positions and gestures, to create an almost circular movement. The painting has been restored and relined. It is presented in an ancient frame restored at the beginning of the 20th century, with various current shortcomings (to be restored).

Oil painting on canvas. It is a vintage copy of the engraving of the same name made by Annibale Carracci (1560-1609), which had immediate success and gave rise to a series of printed replicas and painted copies. It presents the moment of the Passion in which Christ is crowned with the crown of thorns, the object of torture, the disparaging symbol of his proclamation as King of Kings. The act is performed by two figures, the Roman soldier and the Jew, representing the two people who they took part in Christ's death sentence. The figures, vigorous and sanguine, those of the two tormentors paler and more inert than the victim, create an intertwined composition of bodies, with that of the central Jesus joining the other two, uniting them in the shared responsibility of what they are doing; placed sideways, Jesus has his head bent forcibly to the left by the soldier who imposes the crown of thorns on him, while the Jew on the right places the bamboo cane in his hand, replacing the scepter. The scene is dominated by gloomy and dark colors, among which only the bright red of Christ's robe stands out, a symbol of his suffering humanity. The painting has been restored and relined. It is presented in a beautiful coeval frame, with shortcomings.

Oil painting on canvas. Tuscan school of the seventeenth century. Scion of an ancient Longobard lineage of Aquino (in the province of Frosinone), Thomas (born around 1226) went to Naples to study, in 1243 he entered the order of Dominican preachers against the wishes of his relatives, but during the journey to the northerner was arrested by his brothers and held prisoner for about a year. In the scene, the young saint in the centre, already dressed in the Dominican habit, is surrounded on both sides by four richly dressed figures, precisely his relatives, probably including his mother, who hold him kindly, almost embracing him, while with gestures of the hands and the afflicted and loving looks try to convince him, almost begging him. The figures are also placed in a prison, as indicated by the bars in the window on the right, to underline the coercive action performed. Rich and detailed are the details of the clothes of the characters, with bright colors that contrast with Thomas' dress, plastic movements properly in Baroque taste. Already restored and relined, the painting is in good condition, with evident cracking. It is presented in an antique re-lacquered and re-gilded frame.

Reduced version from an altarpiece by Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli

Oil painting on canvas. Venetian school of the seventeenth century. Entirely in the foreground, this scene of a group of sacred figures, which presents the faces of Mary and the Child Jesus in the centre, surrounded by the young San Giovanni in the lower left, and three angels forming a crown around. All the characters are happy and smiling, despite the reference to passion given by the stick surmounted by the Cross which John offers to Jesus. The movement of the bodies and the bright colors make the scene come alive. The painting is still on the first canvas, with no signs of previous restoration. There are several drops of color, spread above all along the lower margin and the two sides. It is presented in an antique lacquered wooden frame.

Oil on canvas. Lombard school of the 17th century. According to the classic iconography, the penitent Magdalene is depicted with tears in her eyes, her hair loose, undressed, holding the jar of ointment with which she anointed Jesus in the Gospel episode, and the skull, the Memento mori par excellence. Above her, a little angel points to the sky above. The pictorial methods are very similar to a similar work by Panfilo Nuvolone (1581 -1651), an Italian painter active between Lombardy and Emilia, an interpreter of an outdated late Mannerism inspired by the dictates of the Counter-Reformation, known for his still lifes but also the author of figures similar to this one. The painting, restored and relined, is presented in an antique gilded frame.

Oil on canvas. Venetian school of the 17th century. The figures, portrayed in the foreground half-length, see Mary placed in the center with the baby Jesus in her arms; behind them on the left is Saint Joseph and below him the little John the Baptist, dressed in furs and with the traditional cross-shaped staff with the band bearing the inscription "Ecce Agnus Dei". The gazes of these four figures are turned to the left, where Saint Catherine of Siena appears, recognizable by the black habit of the Dominicans, and by her iconographic attributes, the crown of thorns, the stigmata and the lily. Jesus is holding out his hands towards her, to stipulate that mystical marriage that characterized the saint. Restored and relined, the painting shows widespread small losses of color. It is presented in a re-adapted 19th century frame.

Oil on canvas. Portrait of a nobleman, proud with his hand resting on the hilt of his sword and dressed in a cloak edged with ermine. At the top right appears the coat of arms of his family, which features a red lion rampant crowned and holding a sword; across is a band with three groups of balls arranged in a flower. A similar lion rampant is found in the coat of arms of some cities in central Italy, such as Faenza. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a contemporary frame in carved and lacquered wood.

Oil on canvas. The scene is set inside a marble palace, with arches and vaults; the numerous figures occupy the space in a play of intertwining bodies and glances that meet. In the center the Virgin Mary lifts the Baby Jesus to show him to the visitors; behind her on the right Joseph watches attentively, while above hovers a little angel bearing the scroll with the Gloria. On the left the group of the three kings from the East, paying homage to the Child, and behind them the curious servants who observe and point. The bright and vivid colors stand out. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a regilded late 19th century frame.

Copy from Nicolas De Largillière

Oil on octagonal metal plate. This is a copy of the portrait of the Infanta Maria Anna Vittoria of Bourbon (1718-1781), painted by Nicolas de Largillière in 1724, currently preserved in the Prado Museum in Madrid. The original better highlights the very young age of the princess, first daughter of Philip V of Spain and Elisabeth Farnese, who was engaged to Louis XV in 1722, at the age of just four, and immediately sent to Paris; the young Infanta was nicknamed "l'infante Reine" (the child queen), but did not marry the French king, who in 1725 decided to send her home because she was too young. The child, who in this copy seems a little older, is depicted at the French court, probably in a room of the Louvre Palace where she stayed, in a sumptuous princely dress, with the royal crown resting on the rich console table to her right. The painting is presented in a contemporary gilded frame.

Oil on canvas. Large in size and octagonal in shape, the canvas features a landscape inscribed in a frame painted with friezes, falling into the category of eighteenth-century painting conceived for furnishing purposes. The scene is set by a river, on whose bank rise architectural ruins of classical structures, which tower majestically over the figurines of popular characters animating the scene. The painting, already restored and relined, features several small holes, paint losses and widespread stains.

Oil on canvas. Large format and octagonal shape, the canvas presents a landscape inscribed in a frame painted with friezes, falling into the category of eighteenth-century painting conceived for furnishing purposes. The landscape sees on the left some bare rocks from which a small waterfall flows, while on the right the ruins of an architectural structure, in front of which two women in traditional popular clothes are conversing. The canvas, already restored and relined in the past, presents widespread small holes, paint losses and stains. The canvas falls into the category of eighteenth-century paintings for furnishing purposes.

Oil on canvas. Large in size and octagonal in shape, the canvas presents a landscape inscribed in a frame painted with friezes, falling into the category of eighteenth-century painting conceived for furnishing purposes. The landscape shows a village near the coast, with fishing boats on the seashore; on the left, the ruins of a colonnade dominate in the foreground, under which two figures converse. The canvas, already restored and relined in the past, presents widespread loss of paint, small holes and stains.

Oil on canvas. French school of the second half of the 18th century. Probably the work of a follower of Claude Joseph Vernet (1714 -1789), a French painter specialized in marine scenes and who painted several times glimpses of storms and shipwrecks. The scene is set on a rocky coast, near a village built on the cliff above; a strong storm is underway, which unleashes a lightning bolt, shooting from the top right, above some frightened figures of wayfarers, and directed towards the sailing ship that is sailing at the mercy of the strong waves. The sky is full of black clouds, even if in the distance a patch of blue seems to be already beginning to open up. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a period frame.

Oil on canvas. Inside an inn, which almost seems to be made in a cave, opening onto a rather barren countryside, some men eat, drink and relax at the table next to the fire, while a woman sitting on the floor watches them amused while eating. The figures are grotesque, almost caricatural, the colors earthy, to underline the peasant extraction of the scene. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in an ancient frame.

Oil on canvas. Inside an inn, some customers are playing cards: the man sitting on the left is cheating, hiding a card in the collar of his shabby jacket, under the amused gaze of the innkeeper who arrives. The figures are grotesque, almost caricatural; the colors are predominantly earthy, to emphasize the popular setting. Restored and relined (on the back is a restorer's label dated 1952), the painting is presented in an antique frame.

Adoration of the Shepherds, ca. 1620

Oil on canvas. Venetian school of the 17th century. Looking at the models spread by Jacopo Bassano, the painting presents a scene full of figures and surrounding elements typical of pastoral life, elegant but with a rustic simplicity. The shepherds create with Mary and Joseph a circle of figures adoring the Baby Jesus, a circle in which the animals, the ox and the sheep also participate, while the little angels complete the scene by circling above. The work can be traced back to the production of Baldassarre D'Anna, a painter born in Venice who trained with Leonardo Corona, of whom he reproduced the chromatic liveliness and the chiaroscuro instance, and then worked in Venice, in Dalmatia, in Istria and in the whole Friuli area. It is placed in the artist's best phase, between 1610 and 1620, in particular we find the same characteristics and many characters of the series of eight canvases made around 1620 for the Santuario delle Grazie in Cordovado in the province of Pordenone: similar are the vivid colors spread with clear backgrounds and sharp draperies, the energetic contours, the severe and marked physiognomies that are found both in the shepherds and in the kneeling Madonna. We also find in the work the realistic notes "alla Bassano", such as the basket of eggs from which a napkin emerges, the architectures devoid of any monumentality. Due to its small size, this canvas can be traced back to a private commission, intended for personal devotion or for collecting. The painting, restored and relined, is presented in a gilded frame in style. The painting is accompanied by an expertise.