Antonio Gianlisi, attributable to - Still Life with carpets, jewels, fruit and a mirror

Oil on canvas. Central European School. The scene is set in the shop of a barber, who is intent on cutting a man's hair under the watchful eye of other customers and, above all, of some women with children, one of whom even observes the result of his work with glasses. Glasses were introduced in art first as a sign of distinction, and later also as a sign of scientific attention, progressively delineating the figure of the scholar, doctor and surgeon: in this painting, they actually underline the irony of the scene, and they are used as a tool for a close female examination of the spouse's haircut! The whole scene is filled with figures, painted in a crude and almost grotesque way, with very marked, almost theatrical expressions and poses, underlined as well by the bright colours. Due to these characteristics, the painting fits well into that production of genre scenes based on popular life captured in its most lively and characteristic moments, which originated in the seventeenth century in Central Europe, especially in the Netherlands, to replace naturalistic and religious painting with lighter subjects, and which in Italy found a particular expression in the "Bamboccianti School", developed in Rome by Flemish and Italian painters. The painting has been restored and relined. It is presented in an antique frame.

Tempera on paper, applied to hardboard. The biblical episode depicted, described in the book of Exodus, tells how young Moses, still at the court of the Pharaoh of Egypt, defends the seven young daughters of the priest Jethro, harassed by some Midianite shepherds while they draw water from the well. After his intervention, Moses will receive in marriage one of Jethro's daughters, Zipporah. This subject is very popular in art history, it is presented here with a particular attention to the portrait component, with a particular exacerbation of the expressive traits, both in the faces and the poses of the characters. The scene is very lively, with the figure of Moses in the centre, vigorous and combative, who divides the field in two: on his left the seven girls, each characterized by a different behaviour; on the right the importuning shepherds, who suffer the wrath of Moses. In the background, a landscape typical of 18th century productions, with an architectural ruin behind the well. The work is presented in a frame in style.

Oil on canvas. Central European school. The scene, set inside a tavern, depicts a fight between two men, who are held by the other patrons and by the innkeeper; on the table, next to the interrupted lunch, the cards of the game that sparked the quarrel. The whole scene is filled with figures, painted in a raw and almost grotesque way, with very pronounced, almost theatrical expressions and poses, underlined even more by the bright colours. Due to these characteristics, the painting fits well into that production of genre scenes based on popular life captured in its most lively and characteristic moments, which started in the seventeenth century in Central Europe, especially in the Netherlands, to replace naturalistic and religious painting with lighter subjects, and which in Italy found a particular expression in the "Bamboccianti School", developed in Rome by Flemish and Italian painters. The painting has been restored and relined. It is presented in a period frame.

Oil on canvas. Northern Italy school. In the scene, four young girls dance, accompanied by different instruments: Venus, who is characterized by the crown on her head, beats on a triangle, the three Graces have a tambourine and castanets. In the lower centre, a boy accompanies them with the flute, while on the left, seated on a rock and leaning on his sword, the god Mars observes them. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in an antique gilded frame.

Mater Dolorosa

Oil on canvas. Copy of a subject realized by Tiziano, who completed three different autograph copies, each one different from the other for the pose of the Virgin: 1. Mater Dolorosa, with open hands (oil on marble, at the Museo del Prado in Madrid); 2 Mater Dolorosa with folded hands (oil on panel at the Museo Cerralbo in Madrid); 3. Mater Dolorosa with folded hands (oil on panel, auctioned in New York on 06/04/2006). This pieces dates back to mid 16th century, but there are more later variants, attributed to the Venetian artist and his atelier. It is well known that Tiziano would introduce small variations even in his autograph copies to reinforce the autenticity effect. This copy, dating back to the following century, is still of the highest execution quality, There is a monogram on the back (in an affixed space on the canvas) that is probably the artist's signature. The painting, restored and recanvased, is presented in an antique frame.

Cherubs playing with cards

Oil on canvas. The depicted scene is set in a closed environment with a wide window which provides a glimpse of landscape. Three cherubs are sitting on benches and they are playing with cards, trying to build a castle. The painting has been restored. 18th century.

Cherubs' Game

Oil on canvas. In the depicting scene, three cherubs are play-acting: one of them is wearing a smiling mask and is trying to scare his mate, while the last one is dressed up like a pilgrim. 18th century.

Oil painting on canvas. Venetian school of the seventeenth-eighteenth century. The evangelical scene shows on the left the Holy Family, humble in simple clothes and placed in a bare and almost dark room, while the whole right half is occupied by the figures of the Magi, richly dressed and with their exotic and sumptuous retinue of servants and camels ; the figure of the Child Jesus joins the two so different fields who, in his mother's arms and surrounded by divine light, stretches out his hand to accept the rich gift of one of the Magi, kneeling before him. The red color dominates the whole scene, in different shades, which connotes the clothes of the characters, both the tunics of Joseph and Mary, as well as the mantles of the rich kings, indicating the human and mortal nature that unites them. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a gilded frame from the early 1900s (with modifications).

The Fraticelli's Lunch

Oil on canvas. Genoese school of the eighteenth century. Inside a large room with arched windows opening onto the street, a group of friars seated on the ground are sharing a simple meal, placed on a white cloth. The scene refers to the sphere of Alessandro Magnasco known as Lissandrino (1667 -1749), a Genoese artist considered one of the most original painters of the Italian eighteenth century, who distinguished himself in popular genre painting and, in particular, in the production of scenes from the life of Capuchin or Camaldolese friars engaged in the most varied activities, from studying in the library to confession, from the work of sharpeners or carpenters in the convent workshops to the simple recollection around the fire: in these works you can appreciate all the expressive freedom of the artist\'s brush. moves on the canvas with quick touches to describe flames, fireplaces, cats, books, dogs, poor bowls, lenses, books, poor patched clothes, chairs and stools, in short, a whole daily world of gestures and things built with a very special and unmistakable technique, made of a mixture of lively color and almost all played on monochrome, on which a few, skilful strokes of light descend to give shape and consis tence to the bony figures of the monks. The author of the work proposed here was certainly trained in the Magnasco area and was inspired by his style, although it is more sedate, without the flashes and interpretative freedom, often irreverent or ironic, towards the figures of the friars; he was able to take up the play of chiaroscuro, lights and shadows, which flow from a monochrome in the shades of browns, still creating a work of excellent pictorial quality. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a gilded frame from the early 1900s.