Giovanni Domenico Valentino (Rome 1630 - Imola 1708)
Signed with the monogram G.D.V in the center to the right, on a majolica vase
The pharmacist in his laboratory
Oil on canvas, 73 x 66 cm
In a gilded and lacquered frame, 86 x 80 cm
This work, depicting a fascinating laboratory interior with a pharmacist busy preparing medicines, falls within the typical production of the Roman Gian Domenico Valentini, also known as Giovanni Domenico Valentino (Rome 1630 - Imola 1708).
The canvas, which is signed with the monogram G.D.V in the center to the right on a majolica vase, should have been painted in Rome, where the painter worked from 1662 until his death, except for 1680-1681, when he worked in Imola and Ravenna.
The inspiration from the Flemish artists who populated the Eternal City is essential in the development of Valentini's painting.
The use of Nordic models in the development of this type of pictorial genre, with scenes of interiors and still life elements, had gained great fortune with the Roman clientele, leading to an almost serial type of production, but always of great evocative charm.
Giovanni Domenico Valentini distinguished himself in the artistic panorama of the Italian 17th century precisely for the peculiarity of his favorite subjects: they are mainly kitchen interiors or, as in our case, a laboratory, where countless objects are piled up in picturesque disorder: here are the utensils of a pharmacy, in copper and terracotta, metal and clay vases or pouring spouts, majolica jars and pots, bottles, flasks, glasses, pots, basins and other copper and terracotta containers, as well as an open oven.
The large background wall is occupied by a corner hanging shelf for pharmacist's vases and jars, all arranged in a row; in the foreground, the still life features various pharmaceutical utensils such as pharmacy bottles, mortar bowls, jars and vases with handles, as well as pots and copper containers. The painting above the door frame, which depicts a landscape, is particularly highlighted from a chromatic point of view, and is a typical furnishing element of the painter.
Valentini's interiors, of which our painting is a valuable example, which display large quantities of objects or furnishings, are arranged with a carefully studied organization: everything represented is arranged according to the dictates of a pre-ordered exhibition and appears, so to speak 'on display', exposed and organized according to the very personal intent of a painter who aims to ennoble everyday life and make it the emblem of his art.
The interior of our pharmacy is very similar to a monogrammed version kept at the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Palais Fesch, in Ajaccio (inv. 852-1-461) depicting a 'Young man visiting a pharmacy', in which the same elements recur, albeit varied: the semi-open cabinet, the charcoal, the basin, the flasks and pharmaceutical vases, the shelves and the portrait above the door.
Other similar compositions:
- Auction Finarte, Rome May 8, 1990, Giovanni Domenico Valentino, Interior of a pharmacy: http://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/93060/Valentino%20Giovan%20Domenico%2C%20Intern...
- Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Imola, Imola (Emilia Romagna, Italy), Giovanni Domenico Valentino, Interior of a pharmacy: http://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/entry/work/93056/Valentino%20Giovan%20Domenico%2C%20Interno%...
- Palais Fesch Musée des beaux-arts (France), Giovanni Domenico Valentino, Interior of a pharmacy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Gian_Domenico_Valentini#/media/File:Gian_domenico_valent...
- Pandolfini Florence, Important Old Master Paintings April 19, 2016, Giovanni Domenico Valentino, Interior of a pharmacy: https://www.pandolfini.it/it/asta-0170/giovanni-domenico-valentinoand.asp
