Characterized by remarkable pictorial and drawing quality, this oil on canvas (of origin, therefore, never relined and with an antique frame) depicts a jaunty young man with braids of garlic and red onions and a wineskin on his shoulder. The boy is amused and laughing despite being dressed in rags, he is proud and has everything he needs and a large headdress to protect himself from the sun on a hot summer day.
Of considerable interest and a symptom that there was a notable artist or cultured patron of the period between the 17th and 18th centuries, is an unusual detail that serves as an attribute to the young peasant: the presence of an animal bladder used in the Italian countryside as thermal insulation and a food container. The presence of this element, with liquid leaking out of the mouth of the bladder, could have allusive meanings related to sexuality or the transience of life.
The painting, more than a simple portrait, appears to all intents and purposes to be a genre scene, from which we can grasp the thematic and stylistic influences of the painting of Giovanni Francesco Cipper (Feldkirch, July 15, 1664 – Milan, October 17, 1736) and is probably a worthy contemporary follower, or an anonymous devotional painter of worthy quality, not easily recognizable in genre scenes.
Chromatic contrasts and strong luminosity lead us to refer this painting to a busy painting school between Emilia and Lombardy, probably active in the area between Piacenza, Cremona and Parma between the end of the 17th and the early years of the 18th century.
Excellent condition - Original canvas
19th century gilded frame
Dimensions: 55x46cm Dimensions with frame 66 x 57cm
We attach a guarantee of authenticity.
