BATTLE BETWEEN EUROPEAN CAVALRIES
(see expertise of Prof. Giancarlo Sestieri in the image gallery)
Important oil painting on canvas, cm. 87 x 146. Autograph work by Francesco Monti, known as Il Brescianino delle Battaglie – within a carved and sculpted wooden frame with gilded leaf inserts.
Francesco Monti, known as Il Brescianino delle Battaglie (Brescia, 1646 – Parma, 1703), was an Italian painter of the Baroque period.
Born in Brescia, he was a pupil of Pietro Ricchi, known as Lucchese, and, above all, of Jacques Courtois, known as Borgognone delle Battaglie.
He painted in various cities of Italy, such as Genoa, Rome, Venice, where he had the opportunity to see the works of Johann Elismann (1604-1698) and Brisighello (1679-1750), Naples, where he became acquainted with the works of Salvator Rosa, and in Germany, and finally settled in Parma, where he established a school. Among his pupils we remember Giovanni Canti, Ilario Spolverini, Angiolo Everardi known as Fiamminghino, Lorenzo Comendich.
One of his sons, Giuseppe, also followed in his footsteps as a battle painter, but did not reach the skill of the master, being inferior in the use of color.
In 1670 he was in Piacenza, as evidenced by the engraving of his name in the dome of the Basilica of Santa Maria di Campagna. He worked for the ducal court of Parma and in 1681 he permanently entered the service of the Farnese family, remaining there until 1695.
Monti's paintings, of which we present here a remarkably well-made example, are characterized by large spaces «that are lost in smoke and dust», by the tangle of armed men in the foreground with dismounted knights and horses rearing up in the last instant of life. In addition to battles, he executed religious paintings and seascapes in which we see the influence of Pieter Mulier, known as Tempesta, with whom he was friends.
His works are not rare, but they are often classified as belonging to the school of Borgognone.
Prof. Giancarlo Sestieri, whose expertise we publish in the image gallery, is unanimously considered one of the greatest scholars of this great artist, still little known to the general public, but highly appreciated by critics.
Bibliography
Luigi Lanzi, “Pictorial history of Italy, from the Risorgimento of the Fine Arts to near the end of the 18th century”, volume VII, for Nicolò Bettoni Milan, 1831
Pietro Zani, “Methodical critical-reasoned encyclopedia of the fine arts”, Parma 1823
Pellegrino Antonio Orlandi and Pietro Guarienti, “Pictorial alphabet book”, Venice, at Giambattista Pasquali, 1753
Francesco Sorce, “Francesco Monti”, in “Biographical dictionary of Italians”, vol. 76, Rome, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2012.
P.A. Orlandi, “Pictorial alphabet book”, Bologna 1704, p. 166
R. Arisi, “Il Brescianino delle battaglie”, Piacenza 1975 (with bibl. And register of documents)
R. Arisi Riccardi, “Ilario Spolverini. Painter of battles and ceremonies", in Society and culture in 18th century Piacenza”, vol.6 (catal.), Piacenza 1979, pp. 41 ff. and passim
F. Arisi, “The point about Francesco Monti, known as the Brescianino delle Battaglie”, in “Memorie bresciane”, II (1982), 1, pp. 140-156
Id., “Other things from Piacenza of art and history”, Piacenza 1987, pp. 131-141
P. Consigli Valente, M. F., in “The battle in the painting of the XVII and XVIII century”, edited by P. Consigli Valente, Parma 1986, pp. 394 ff.
M. Chiarini, in “Battles. Paintings from the 17th to the 19th century from the Florentine Galleries” (catalog), edited by M. Chiarini, Florence 1989, pp. 31 ff., 87 ff.
G. Cirillo - G. Godi, “The paintings on canvas by Ilario Spolverini for the ducal palace of Colorno”, in “Quaecumque recepit Apollo. Writings in honor of Angelo Ciavarella”, Parma 1993, pp. 92-94
F. Arisi, “Genre painting in Parma and Piacenza”, in “Painting in Emilia and Romagna”
“The Seventeenth Century”, II, 2, edited by Jadranka Bentini - L. Fornari Schianchi, Milan 1993, pp. 201, 204S. Prompt, “The great court enterprises: the Farnese family for Piacenza”, ibid., pp. 163, 166
Id., in “The Farnese Palace in Piacenza. The Art Gallery and the Feats” (catalog, Piacenza 1992), edited by S. Pronti, Milan 1997, pp. 205 ff., 221 ff., 224 (cards 29, 32-34, 57, 113, 133)
Id., “Francesco Monti known as the Brescianino”, in Id., “Battle painters. Italian and foreign masters of the 17th and 18th centuries”, Rome 1999, pp. 206 ff. (with bibl.)
G. Sestieri “Battles: Italian masters of the 17th and 18th centuries. Exhibition from private collections” (catalog, Lumezzane), edited by Giancarlo Sestieri, Roccafranca (BS) 2002, pp. 38 ff. (cards 10 ff.)
G. Sestieri, in “Pugnae. War in art; battle paintings from the 16th to the 18th century” (catalog, L’Aquila), edited by Giancarlo Sestieri, Rome 2008, pp. 68 ff. (cards 29 ff.)
U. Thieme - F. Becker, "Künstlerlexikon", XXV, p. 93.
