Scuola romana

Antique painting, oil on canvas, dated to the late 17th century to the first half of the 18th century, depicting a sleeping Amorino. Elegant painting depicting a sleeping Amorino, shown nude and reclined on a rich drapery, immersed in an intimate and contemplative atmosphere. Beside the figure are visible the attributes of the little god of Love, with his bow and arrows laid aside during sleep. The work belongs to the long fortune of the theme of the Sleeping Love, particularly developed in Italian painting starting from the famous models of Guido Reni, whose idealized interpretation of the infant nude exerted a lasting influence on Italian painting between the 16th and 18th centuries. The conception of the figure, characterized by soft flesh tones, delicate plastic modeling, rounded forms and composed elegance, seems traceable to the classicist culture developed in late 17th-century Rome and early 18th-century Rome. The language of the work shows particular affinities with the Maratta- and Renian-influenced culture, of which Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari was one of its main interpreters and continuators. Also significant is the construction of space, achieved through the contrast between the luminous body of the Amorino, the deep brownish and reddish tones of the drapery, and the landscape opening in the background, in line with a solution still strongly tied to the Roman Baroque tradition. The softness of the figure and the greater decorative elegance compared to strictly 17th-century models seem to point to a dating to the first decades of the 18th century, within Roman painting influenced by the Carlo Maratta tradition and the fortune of Guido Reni’s models. The painting can therefore be traced to the Roman School, within the circle of Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari, an artist formed in the circle of Carlo Maratta and a protagonist of Roman painting between the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The painting is presented in generally good condition for its age, with an even and fully legible surface. A few scattered restoration spots are noticeable, in addition to visible underlayers and craquelure of the painted surface, overall limited in extent and not compromising the legibility of the depiction. The craquelure is even and attributable to the period, with no signs of active delamination. No conservation problems are evident. The original canvas has a lining in good condition that ensures proper support and tensioning. The wooden frame appears to have been replaced at the time of the lining. Overall the work remains structurally solid, aesthetically pleasing and well preserved, while preserving the physiological traces of time that attest to its authenticity and its conservation history. Dimensions of the painting: 72 x 94 cm The work is accompanied by a photographic certificate of authenticity, as required by current law. Shipping with insured express courier and packaging carried out with the utmost care.

Estimate:$2,809.29

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