Portrait of a Girl with a Book, Workshop of Anton Raphael Mengs (Aussig, 1728 - Rome, 1779)

Workshop of Anton Raphael Mengs (Aussig, 1728 - Rome, 1779) Portrait of a Girl with a Book oil on canvas 64 x 49 cm. - framed 77 x 63 cm. The work, depicting a fascinating portrait of a girl, can be attributed to a neoclassical painter from the Roman school, active in the 18th century, within the entourage of Anton Raphael Mengs (Aussig, 1728 - Rome, 1779). The subject is a young woman immortalized in a half-length portrait, fashionably dressed in a gown with a bateau neckline and puffed sleeves, adorned with a blue bow on the left sleeve and golden embroidery. She is wearing precious earrings composed of a large pearl from which three other teardrop pearls hang, while her hair is gathered in a hairstyle embellished with other simple but precious jewels. She holds a pen and a notepad in her hand, suggesting an artistic or intellectual activity, reinforced by a composed expression and a penetrating and introspective gaze directed towards the observer. The work reflects the 18th-century taste of the new vision of neoclassical art, which also embraced portraiture, with the abandonment of the excessive and redundant Baroque aesthetic, for a return to the principles of balance, composure, and serenity: with these principles Mengs quickly became famous and sought after, rivaling the elder Pompeo Batoni (1708-1787) to contend for the role of first painter of the capital. He moved to Rome in 1741, quickly becoming an extraordinary portrait painter, the highest paid and most sought after in Italy and in the European courts of the late 18th century, a point of reference for the wealthy travelers of the Grand Tour who wanted to visit his atelier in Via Sistina to commission their own portraits. Confirming the reference to Mengs' style are the pose and details of the dress and the lightened background like a kind of aura around the figure, here rendered with such lightness and confidence that we can advance the attribution to an author from his close circle or a student. The details and executive mastery are very similar to the master's works, including, comparatively, his self-portrait (fig.1 - https://catalogo.beniculturali.it/detail/HistoricOrArtisticProperty/0900099752 ), the Portrait of Johann Joachim Winckelmann (fig.2 - Metropolitan Museum of Art, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437067 ), or the Portrait of the engraver Francesco Bartolozzi (fig.3 - Lviv National Art Gallery, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mengs_Portrait_Kupferstecher_Francesco_Bartolozzi.jpg ), in which we can find the same technical ability as well as the same stylistic peculiarities and the same cut, which gives the effigy an incredible immediacy of expression. In all these works, the subjects hold books and objects allusive to their culture. The same shape and structure of earrings, extremely precious given the size of the pearls that compose them, we see them depicted by him in his portrait of Maria Luisa of Bourbon (https://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/64308/) Good condition with some restorations on the surface, complete with gilded frame (good condition, small missing parts). ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The work is sold complete with a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic card. We take care of and organize the transport of purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers. It is also possible to see the painting in the gallery of Riva del Garda, we will be happy to welcome you to show you our collection of works. In case of purchase of the work by non-Italian customers, it will be necessary to obtain an export permit which takes about 15/20 days, our gallery will take care of the entire phase until obtaining it. All costs of this operation are included. Contact us, without obligation, for any additional information. Also follow us on: INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/galleriacastelbarco/?hl=it FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/galleriacastelbarco/