Francesco Simonini (Parma, June 16, 1686 – Parma, 1766), The Soldiers' Rest and The Soldiers' March, a pair of oil on canvas paintings

Francesco Simonini (Parma, June 16, 1686 – Parma, 1766) The Soldiers' Rest and The Soldiers' March Oil on canvas, 40 x 58 cm and 40 x 60 cm (without frame) each; with frame: h 52.5 x W 70.5 x D 6 and h 52.5 x W 72.5 x D 6 Price: private negotiation Item accompanied by certificate of authenticity and expertise attached at the bottom of the page The paintings presented here, of significant pictorial value and attributable to the painter Francesco Simonini, depict two different moments linked to the theme of battles and military subjects, namely The Soldiers' Rest and The Soldiers' March. In the painting presented here on the left, some soldiers can be seen sitting in the foreground on the right, intent on playing dice, while next to them a couple feasts with wine. The scene takes place outdoors, in a countryside, next to a rocky promontory on top of which a tower dominates. On the left is a couple of nobles in noble attire, and a beggar holds out a hat to them as a sign of alms. In the background, other figures are depicted, including soldiers on horseback and wayfarers, while in the distance a city and a tall bell tower can be seen. The horizon is delineated by rocky reliefs and other small villages. The blue sky is marked by some white and vaporous clouds. The other painting depicts, in the lower half of the canvas, a military deployment in which several soldiers on horseback are gathered and ready to march. In the distance, a city with walls and towers can be distinguished, beyond which a prominent mountain serves as a backdrop to the scene. Some clouds enliven the serene sky. The genre of battle paintings and scenes closely linked to conflict, including the pay and rest of the so-called troops, the advances and marches of soldiers, enjoy great success in the collections of the Italian and European nobility of the 17th and 18th centuries. Battle painting was a genre loved and requested especially by the great aristocratic families, such as the Medici in Florence and the Este in Parma, who loved to furnish their salons with paintings by the most important "battle painters." Among these, Francesco Antonio Simonini (1686 – 1766) distinguished himself, who, after working in Parma, Rome, Florence and Bologna, produced most of his works in Venice. The pair of paintings that are the subject of this study can be attributed with reasonable conviction to the body of works of this painter, based on stylistic comparison. Francesco Antonio Simonini was born in Parma on June 16, 1686, according to what is attested in his baptismal certificate made known by Enrico Scarabelli Zunti in the second half of the 19th century. [...] His particular style, characterized by rapid brushstrokes and the use of bright colors, is mainly formed under the influence of the Venetian school. Also characteristic of his painting is the tendency to create elongated and sinuous figures, attention to the details of landscapes and architecture, even in the classical style, the depth of the landscape that is lost in infinity, the line of the horizon almost indefinite due to the blurring of sky and earth, the drama and realism in which the influence of Salvator Rosa is noticeable. It is therefore possible to affirm that Simonini was able to reinterpret the lesson of his predecessors, enriching it with a Venetian-style colorism, acquired during his long stay in the lagoon city, and with a free and fringed touch, which gives lightness to the composition. From the stylistic comparison between the works in question and those returned to the catalog of Francesco Simonini, the peculiarities of his painting are evident. The elegant, elongated figures treated with confident and rapid brushstrokes, the way the landscape and sky are described, the chromatic palette are in fact entirely comparable to numerous other canvases by Simonini. The same goes for the use of white, which the artist skillfully uses to create highlights and points of light useful in conferring three-dimensionality to his figures and material rendering, such as the sparkle of the weapons and the soft plumage of the hats. The print of an etching, preserved in Naples and taken from a drawing by Francesco Simonini, clearly shows a composition entirely similar to that present in one of the two canvases in question. The specular vision of the subjects derives from the very technique of printing: the engraving on copper of the drawing takes place on the plate, after which it is turned upside down and printed on paper producing a symmetrical image. Carlotta Venegoni