Still life, Giovanni Paolo Castelli, known as Spadino (Rome, 1659 – 1730)

Still life in a landscape with fruit and game. Attributable to Giovanni Paolo Castelli, known as Spadino (Rome, 1659 – 1730) Oil on canvas, 67 x 89 cm, in frame 90 x 109 cm. A short video of the artwork: https://youtu.be/3sYC5rgpsg0 Full details of the artwork: https://www.antichitacastelbarco.it/it/prodotto/natura-morta-in-un-paesaggio-con-frutta-e-selvaggina An outdoor setting, with a glimpse of a hilly landscape opening up in the distance in the central part, forms the backdrop for our beautiful canvas, which displays a rich selection of game and fruit, arranged in the foreground close to the viewer's viewpoint, occupying a large part of the visual field with their vibrant and festive colors. The style and quality of the artwork, as well as the pictorial technique of this still life, characterized by subtle luminous vibrations and lively chroma, make it attributable to the Roman Giovanni Paolo Castelli, known as lo Spadino (Rome, 1659 – 1730), one of the most important specialists in this pictorial genre of late Baroque Rome, who enjoyed a highly successful career between the 17th and 18th centuries. Analyzing the rich and heterogeneous catalog of the Roman master, indeed, our canvas can be placed among his rare works that, alongside a selection of fruit - among which large melons, ripe figs, dark grapes, and plums stand out - we see an insertion of game, presumably at the request of a patron fond of hunting. Alongside various birds, the spoils of a successful hunt, there is also a small green woodpecker, with the characteristic red patch on its head, and a cute rodent peeking out from behind the trunk. The painter indulges in a skillful and brilliant chromatic weaving of the surfaces, through a pictorial material rendered with exceptional vibration in its luminous and 'tactile' corporeity, fully respecting the taste of the Roman High Baroque. Flemish suggestions, which had influenced Baroque Roman still life, particularly the work of Abraham Brueghel, are inevitable and evident. Giovanni Paolo Castelli could boast a family workshop (in which his brother and son worked) long appreciated in Rome in the second half of the 17th century, specializing in the genre of still life, which allowed him to quickly achieve considerable fame, working for the most important Roman families, such as the Chigi, Cardinal Pamphili who owned eleven Spadino works, the Spada, and the Rospigliosi. By way of comparison, among similarly organized and stylistic works, we can mention: - Still life with melon, peaches, grapes, game, guinea pig and chickens, Sotheby's, New York, January 17, 1992, and now Private Collection, Mantua, http://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/90622/Castelli%20Giovanni%20Paolo%2C%20Natura%2.. - Still life with pomegranates, peaches, plums and birds (Private Collection, Gardone Riviera) http://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda.v2.jsp?tipo_scheda=OA&id=90633&titolo=Castell... - Still life with fruit and parrot, Pinacoteca Civica "Domenico Inzaghi", Budrio - Still life with fruit, mushrooms and bird, Antique market, Verona - Still life with watermelon, peaches, grapes and pomegranate, Pinacoteca Civica "Fortunato Duranti", Montefortino - Still life with melon, watermelon, peaches, grapes, figs and pomegranate, Private Collection (http://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/89763/Castelli%20Giovanni%20Paolo%2C%20Natura%2... - Still life with fruit, jug and bird, Palazzo Blu, Fondazione CariPisa Collection, Pisa The painting is completed by a pleasant antique frame that suits it well and is sold with a certificate of authenticity in accordance with the law. Follow us on: https://www.instagram.com/galleriacastelbarco/?hl=it https://www.facebook.com/galleriacastelbarco/