17th Century Baroque Style French School The Three Graces Oil on Canvas

First half of the 17th century

Provenance: Robert L. and Bertina Suida Manning, New York, until 1996 Private Collection, USA One of the leading artists in Genoa during the second half of the seventeenth century, Domenico Piola came from a successful family of artists, renowned for their many illusionistic ceiling programs throughout Genoese churches and palaces. A prolific draughtsman and painter, Domenico oversaw an extremely productive studio. In addition to his collaborations with numerous other artists, Domenico also provided many designs for book illustrations and prints that circulated throughout Europe, earning him international exposure and high acclaim in his own day. As Dr. Anna Orlando has indicated (written communication), the present work is an early work by Piola, datable from the late 1640s. At this time the young artist came strongly under the influence of Castiglione and Valerio Castello, while admiring the works of Giulio Cesare Procaccini. Piola’s works from this period are exuberant and fluid, and the artist’s love of portraying children is evident from the angels and putti that populate both his altarpieces and more intimate paintings. The present work depicts three angels...

Erasmus Quellinus The Continence of Scipio Oil on Canvas The painting is included in the Catalogue Raisonné of the artist. The Roman commande...

English painter (17th century) - Portrait of a gentleman. 73.5 x 63.5cm. Oil on canvas, unframed. Condition report: Canvas applied on panel. Good state of conservation of the pict...

Study for a Man, perhaps Italian School , Follower of Caracci. Old Master Painting. In a Golden Frame, 52 x 46 cm.

The painting represents the portrait of a young gentleman from the late XVII century, stylishly and modish dressed. The figure is shown perfectly placed in space; the volume of the figure is depicted with great competence, so the body appears realistic and tangible. The Gentleman exhibits an extremely distinguished behavior, and reveals strength and energy together with a genuine liveliness that comes close to cordiality by showing a hint of a smile. This young man was undoubtedly a member of an aristocratic and rich family and he’s portrayed in the arcade of his city palace or maybe in his country villa. The artist who painted the Gentleman was a skilful and appreciated artist, sought-after by aristocratic and rich customers, which is demonstrated also by the refined pose of the portrayed and the attention to the details of his dress. One very fascinating peculiarity is in his costume indeed, distinguished by originality from the majority of that time’s dresses, which were almost always black or at least dark, according to the fashion which prevailed at that time in the Italian Region Lombardy. The painting is attributed to Carlo Ceresa, who was born and worked in that Region. The artist was also famous and appreciated for the meticulous attention to details of the cloth and the faithful and realistic rendition of the features, elements that we find in the Gentleman indeed. The young man wears a military costume, a short layered coat, made of leather or suede; this garment was used under the armor or alone because it was resistant enough to assimilate the strokes of the sword and it was long enough to protect the thighs up to the rim of the boot. Another Gentleman still unknown at the Stibbert Museum (Florence) shows a very similar garment and is dated by the scholars 1660 circa. The sober costume of the Gentleman was enriched by elegant details, such as the Venetian laces, the precious fabric and a hat with many soft feathers, very fashionable at that time and an element of distinction for their value, skillfully represented by the artist in the decorations and in the weave. The Gentleman gracefully holds a walking stick in his right hand; the hat indeed is carried in a charming way; all these signals increase the aristocratic posture of the figure. Besides, remarkable and inventive was the taste of the artiste in creating the harmony between the combination of the two predominant colors white and yellow, perfectly bound together with the dark color of the hat, the background and his hair, emphasizing, while accurately framing it, the face of the Gentleman. Furthermore, very meticulous is the face shading, the hue of the colors in order to render realistic the ruddiness, and the white touches are competently given on the nose and the lips in order to recreate the original brilliance. COMPARISONS BETWEEN THE GENTLEMAN AND CARLO CERESA’S ARTWORKS The Gentleman shows many style comparisons with a number of portraits...

The Christ Child as Redeemer of the World Oil on Canvas, 69.3 x 49.7 cm Provenance Private Collection, Belgium The present painting is known in different versions. One of them is ...