Roman School of the early 18th century
Attributed to Luigi Garzi (Pistoia 1638 – Rome 1721)
Still life of fruit supported by three angels
Oil on oval canvas
116 x 91 cm, framed 140 x 119 cm
Authenticity on photograph by Prof. Giancarlo Sestieri, who attributes the work to the circle of Luigi Garzi
Full details of the previous painting: https://www.antichitacastelbarco.it/it/prodotto/natura-morta-di-frutta-sorretta-da-tre-angeli
This magnificent canvas, depicting a sumptuous fruit composition supported by three thriving winged putti, from which emerges a parchment bearing the Latin expression "Amor est vitae essentiae" (Love is the essence of life), is to be placed in the production of a Roman author active between the second half of the 17th century and the early 18th century.
The iconography representing putti with fruit or flowers is frequent in the Baroque period, especially in Rome, starting from the 17th century, with that particular figurative tendency aimed at illusionistic and frivolous images, towards a type of paintings or frescoes with strong decorative value, intended for the private context and depicting precisely triumphs of putti, angels or cherubs, of which our canvas represents a perfect example.
We can recall, among the most illustrious iconographic precedents, the elegant mirrors painted by Mario Nuzzi and Carlo Maratta that adorn the hall of Palazzo Colonna in Rome, and also the canvas preserved at the Rouen museum and those similar to Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia, with the collaboration for the figures of Filippo Lauri.
The commercial and furnishing fortune of similar works is also testified by authors such as Guglielmo Cortese known as the Borgognone (1628 - 1679), Franz Werner Von Tamm (1658 - 1724), Giovan Battista Gaulli (1639 - 1709), Giovanni Paolo Castelli known as Spadino (Rome 1650 - 1740) and the aforementioned Carlo Maratta (1625 - 1713).
The work, studied by Giancarlo Sestieri, has been linked to the circle of the eclectic painter from Pistoia, Luigi Garzi, one of the protagonists of Roman painting in the decades of transition between the 17th and 18th centuries. In our painting, we can find the typical elements of his painting: the soft and delicately chiaroscuro light, the sculptural classicism of the figures in addition to the stupendous luminous and chromatic effects.
Luigi Garzi's training and artistic activity took place in the Eternal City and he was, in effect, a Roman artist. Having moved very young to Rome from Pistoia, his hometown, he became part of Andrea Sacchi's atelier, who directed his studies towards classicism, comparing himself with the works of Raphael, Domenichino and Nicolas Poussin, but also with the Emilian one, with particular attention to the school of Guido Reni.
But the Emilian examples were undoubtedly preferred, favoring in particular Giovani Lanfranco, who shaped his taste and style, together with a modulated Cortonism, while those pre-eighteenth-century sensitivities are due to the lesson of Carlo Maratta.
However, it is undeniable that the painter oriented his personality without ever bowing to imitation, achieving a refined elegance and autonomy of language, as the canvas under examination well demonstrates, in which the various influences find a refined mix and in perfect harmony with the Baroque evolution between the 17th and 18th centuries, indicating a dating to his early maturity.
These attitudes led the painter to obtain early recognitions and prestigious commissions, such as the frescoes of Palazzo Borghese and San Carlo al Corso, where the memories of Domenichino and Reni emerge, up to the dome of the Cybo Chapel in Santa Maria del Popolo. Returning to the work, we can then presume a mature chronological position, for the peculiar drafting, which is based on enamel-toned brushstrokes and a heartfelt classicism.
The painting is in excellent condition, with a beautiful antique frame.
The work is accompanied by a photographic certificate of authenticity in accordance with the law.
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