Attributable to Francesco Foschi (Ancona, 1710 - Rome, 1780)
Winter Landscape
oil on canvas (76 x 63 cm. - Framed 87 x 75 cm.)
The compositional and stylistic elements of this pleasant snow-covered landscape allow us to attribute its authorship to the painter Francesco Foschi (Ancona, 1710 - Rome, 1780), who became famous for his evocative winter panoramas. Born in Ancona and of noble origins, the painter trained in Rome, where he moved with his family in 1729, and later began his career as an art dealer, taking up his final residence in Piazza di Spagna in 1764.
It was around the mid-century that Foschi began to dedicate himself to landscape painting, specializing in views of countryside and winter landscapes like ours, a genre already widespread in Flanders since the 16th century but little frequented in Italy, except by some Venetian artists like Marco Ricci or Giuseppe Bison.
Foschi's winter panoramas, in particular, often depict scenes from his native Apennines, achieving great success, especially among wealthy foreigners who traveled the Italian peninsula from north to south during their Grand Tour. Many of his canvases found their way to the English or French markets; the latter, in particular, proved particularly favorable to his work, where he was known in his mature artistic period as "Chevalier Foschi."
A recurring element in Foschi's paintings is the bare tree (or group of trees) in the foreground covered with snow, which almost constitutes the artist's signature, as well as the motif of the small bridge and classic country houses with thatched roofs. As often happens in this type of work, the author tends to accentuate the presence of nature, making the figures small in scale.
Our attribution would be confirmed by comparison with 'A Winter Landscape with Peasants Next to Farmhouses,' a painting by Francesco Foschi – with a compositional structure perfectly overlapping the proposed canvas but with a horizontal format – which was sold at Christie's in London (Old Master Pictures, December 10, 2003, lot 89, URL: https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-4221021?ldp_breadcrumb=back).
Another extremely similar composition is the painting 'Winter Landscape with River, Bridge, Rustic House, and Figures,' which was sold at Sotheby's and consistently attributed to Francesco Foschi (July 5, 1970, lot 10) URL: https://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/entry/photo/141586/Sotheby%27s%C2%A0%E2%80%94%C2%A0Foschi%2...
And furthermore, 'Winter Landscape with Fortified Buildings' from the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre URL: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/a-winter-landscape-with-fortified-buildings-83987
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The painting is completed by a pleasant antique gilded wooden frame and is sold with a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet.
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