Allegory of Europe, Francesco Solimena (Naples 1657 – 1747) workshop/circle

Francesco Solimena (Canale di Serino 1657 – Barra 1747) workshop/circle Allegory of Europe oil on canvas 102 x 76 cm. - with frame: 119 x 92 cm. Full details (click HERE) The work, datable to the early 18th century, reuses a subject conceived by Solimena that later achieved significant success: it is the Allegory of Europe, which together with three other compositions, precisely the allegories of Asia, Africa, and America, belonged to the series of personifications of the 'Four Parts of the World' that Francesco Solimena painted in 1738. Originally executed as frescoes, they were conceived to decorate the private chambers of Charles III of the House of Bourbon in the Royal Palace of Naples and painted to celebrate his marriage to Maria Amalia of Saxony. The focal point of the representation in our painting is the female figure, depicted with regal attributes, seated with an imperious air, holding in her left hand a model of an architectural building (a temple), assisted by a putto, while with her other hand she points to a crown and a papal tiara, resting on a base bearing the name Europa. Of these wall works, which were lost during the fire that destroyed the apartments in 1837, several study versions remain preserved, many of them oval in format, such as the four canvases now housed at the Doria Pamphilj Gallery in Rome (link), and traditionally considered preparatory sketches for the fresco. Other paintings are kept in private collections or have passed through the antiquarian market: - Berlin, Alte Nationalgalerie - Hazlitt Gallery, London (United Kingdom), reported in 1960: http://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/fotografia/119503/Anonimo%20-%20Anonimo%20napoletano%... - Sotheby's, New York, May 26, 2022: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/master-paintings-and-drawings-part-ii/allegories-of-the... The canvas offered, in particular, is certainly the work of an artist from Solimena's workshop or at least from his close circle: examining the execution technique, one observes a rapid application of paint, typical of model studies, and thus the analysis of the craquelure would also indicate a contemporary dating and therefore a plausible origin in the master's workshop. The painting offered here can indeed be compared to the prototype preserved in the Doria Pamphilj Gallery, although the composition is mirrored, and could therefore be another version executed with some variations by a student from his studio. In the then capital of the Austrian viceroyalty, Solimena founded a prestigious workshop in which some of the greatest painters of 18th-century Naples were trained. The painting is in good condition. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The work is sold with a pleasant gilded frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet. We handle and organize the transport of purchased works, both within Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers. Should you wish to see this or other works in person, we will be happy to welcome you to our new gallery in Riva del Garda, at Viale Giuseppe Canella 18. We look forward to seeing you! Contact us for any information, we will be happy to respond. Follow us also on: https://www.instagram.com/galleriacastelbarco/?hl=it https://www.facebook.com/galleriacastelbarco/