Pair of still lifes painted in oil on canvas with valuable execution qualities, depicting gilded bronze vases with classical grotesque sculptural decorations containing rich floral compositions.
The paintings are attributable to the painter Francesco Caldei, known as Francesco Mantovano (Mantua, 1584 - Venice, 1674).
The dimensions of the paintings, including the frames (which are not contemporary), are 120x94cm.
Mantovano was a painter of probable Mantuan origin but Venetian formation, whose pictorial corpus was reassembled only recently, in 1998, with the recovery of four of his works from the deposits of the Accademia dei Concordi in Rovigo, historically documented paintings. From that initial nucleus, the image of a specialist in flower painting emerged clearly, an artist characterized by the habit of repeating his own motifs with a propensity to represent antique-style vases with mascarons and vases adorned with reclining or lying figures. The obligatory presence of Mantovano in Rome cannot be precisely defined in time, but it is a fact that must absolutely be taken into account due to the proximity of his compositions to the repertoire of Mario Nuzzi, known as Mario dei Fiori, and other artists active in Rome.
We enclose a historical certificate of authenticity with the sale.
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