James Thornhill Pen And Ink On Paper About 1720 - The Birth Of Venus

Oil painting on canvas. The landscape, set in the mountains but with a view of the sea in the background, sees a figure of a commoner in the center and two on the sides, walking on the paths; some farmhouses are scattered on the green slopes. The painting presents several drops of color, especially the upper margin. It is presented in a stylish frame.

Oil painting on canvas. Traditional depiction of the Crucifix, surrounded by Saints linked to the cult of the client. In this case we have Magdalene, embracing the pole of the Cross, on the left Saint Paul, recognizable by the sword, on the right Saint Bartholomew holding his flayed skin on his arm, a sign of the martyrdom to which he was subjected. The painting, restored and relined, is presented in a repurposed antique frame.

Oil painting on canvas. On the back there is a scroll with an old attribution to Hubert Robert (1733 -1808), a French painter who traveled in Italy bringing back various picturesque views and glimpses, populated by architectural ruins. In this work, the glimpse of a hilly countryside is set in a village with farmhouses and a fountain in the centre, in the midst of which however there are also classical architectural ruins: in the center three columns of a temple, further on the left the ruins of an amphitheater. Several popular figurines wander among the structures. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a frame.

Oil on canvas. Landscape of Northern Italy, with large mountains covered in snow on the background, there is a small castle at their feet, and the wide river is in the foreground, with some fishermen on its shores. The painting has some paint losses and evident craquelure. It is presented in a frame in style.

Mixed technique on paper, applied on cardboard. Italian school. The name of Londonio is proposed on the back: the delicate piece certainly recalls the subject and manner of the work of Francesco Londonio (1723-1783), the Milanese artist who specialized in the animal and pastoral genre. It can be considered a work inspired by Londonio, by an artist close to his field.

Tempera on paper on etching. French school from about 1750-1770. Refined colouring of a coeval French print. The oriental subject is a young Chinese man who hints at some dance steps on an outdoor trail, under a plant of exotic fruit. The quality of the piece reminds of the French Rococo production, like those of François Boucher (1703-1770) or Jean Pillement (1728-1808), who both contributed to the spreading of the liking for Chinese representations in Europe. Pillement was the author of numerous drawings and etchings of Chinese taste, collected in two volumes (1767-71) and widely spread in Europe as models. The drawing needs cleaning and restoration. It is mounted on cardboard and comes with a frame.

19th century painting

Oil on wooden table. In the homonymous book of the Bible the story of the prophet Daniel is told that King Darius the Medus, deceived by his court rivals jealous of his rank, condemns death and has him thrown into the lions' den. Discovering the deception, the king at dawn the following day hurries back to the pit and finds Daniel alive, who tells how God had sent an angel to shut the lions' jaws, "because I was found blameless in front of him. ". The biblical episode has been depicted many times in art, both pictorial and sculptural, given the strong narrative and educational impact. The painting went to public auction on 25 October 2018 as a "Lombard school of the seventeenth century", but in our opinion it is a later, nineteenth-century work inspired by ancient pictorial ways.

Oil painting on canvas. The painting portrays the face of an elderly saint, holding a lily in his hand, a symbol of purity, while reading a large book, presumably a sacred text. It is presumably a representation of Saint Joseph: if tradition usually has him represented with Baby Jesus in his arms, starting from the Renaissance Joseph began to also be depicted absorbed in reading a book, in the guise of a "philosopher", or a man who drew the wisdom of knowing how to make right and wise choices from reading sacred texts. The work is presented in a contemporary frame.

Oil on canvas. Portrait of a middle-aged woman, dressed entirely in black, perhaps for mourning. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a contemporary gilded frame.

The Announcement of Defeat at Waterloo

Oil painting on canvas. French school of the 19th century. The scene, set in the poor bedroom of an elderly war veteran, who is crying in his bed, sees his family telling him the sad news of the defeat at Waterloo, as can be deduced from the sheet of newspaper in the woman's hands, on which the name of the historic location where Napoleon Bonaparte was definitively defeated. The canvas shows signs of previous restorations, in particular the patch corresponding to the female figure is clearly visible. It is presented in an early 20th century setting.

Crayons on cardboard. Signed Rossi lower left. Melancholic and ethereal portrait of a young woman, with a serious expression and lost in her thoughts, despite her elegant and graceful party dress. The work is presented in a contemporary frame.

Oil painting on canvas. Signed and dated on the right "Rivoire 1884". It is the portrait of a woman, still young but very serious in her upright pose, in her unsmiling gaze, perhaps in mourning as suggested by the austere black dress she is wearing, together with the rather dark monochrome background. The work is presented in a contemporary frame, with some shortcomings that require restoration.