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.

Oil painting on canvas. French school of the 18th century. The mythological subject of the goddess Diana bathing was widely spread in 18th century painting and, particularly in the Flemish area, also in the previous century. It was proposed in different variations, with the goddess alone, or accompanied by nymphs, or with Actaeon; in this case the beautiful deity, recognizable by the quiver hanging from the tree branch and the hunting dog that accompanies her. she is about to bathe in a body of water while a mischievous faun spies on her behind her. The scantily clad female body occupies the entire scene, central and of a whiteness that stands out in the midst of the shadows of the leafy forest, with all the other figures and elements that surround it. The small painting was restored and relined at the beginning of the 20th century.

Oil painting on canvas. Northern European school of the 18th century. The allegorical scene presents a scantily clad woman sitting on a man's lap, near a table set with a jug, a chalice, a snuffbox and a lit cigar. The two characters are in an attitude of playful complicity, both intent on smoking a long pipe. The background offers a leafy landscape. The figures and objects refer to the material and carnal pleasures of life, smoking, drinking, female company; the rosy and plump characters also recall the pleasure of good food. These subjects were recurrent in Flemish or more generally Nordic painting, which proposed them in an ironic and alluring way. The painting, restored and relined, is presented in a period frame.

The Nine Muses

Tapestry. The word Euterp appears at the bottom right. The enormous grass juice depicts the nine Muses, female Greek divinities, all sisters, as daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, and having the god Apollo as their guide. They represented the supreme ideal of Art, understood as the truth of the "Everything" or the "eternal magnificence of the divine". Initially considered in a generic way as divinities of song and joyous dances, responsible for putting into music and verse stories such as the origin of the world, the birth of gods and men, the exploits of Zeus, and often depicted accompanied by various musical instruments, starting from the Hellenistic era, all singing and musical expressions were associated with them, including sad and funeral ones, and other arts such as theatre, and each of them was associated with a specific genre of art, so that they could be invoked individually to exercise their inspiration and protection. The word "Euterp"refers to the name of one of them, Euterpe, muse of lyric poetry and music, traditionally depicted with a flute; but the name Euterpe etymologically means "She who cheers" who brings joy, and one can therefore think that the choice of this name to title the tapestry refers to the most ancient function of the Muses, those of bringers of joy through art. In this presentation, the muses appear dancing, dressed in veils and flowering branches; in their hands or placed next to them, instruments or other objects symbolizing the art that they inspire appear (both tragic and comic theatrical masks, the pictorial palette, various musical instruments...). The large painting has signs of wear and humidity stains.

Attributed to Domenico Lupini

Oil on canvas. The painting depicts an episode from Roman mythology relating to the young Roman heroine Clelia, who was given as a hostage, along with other maidens, to the Etruscan king Porsenna during peace negotiations with the city; Clelia managed to escape, however, by swimming across the Tiber. Porsenna demanded her return to the Romans, who agreed, but admiring her heroism, he decided to free her by allowing her to take other prisoners with her, whom Clelia chose from among the younger ones. The moment depicted in the painting is that of the crossing of the river, the personification of which is in the foreground on the right, in the figure of the canine old man, accompanied by a young woman with a cornucopia. The scene is very dynamic, with Clelia and the other maidens creating a dense and animated group around the horse ridden by the protagonist, as some versions of the story recall; behind them are the tents of the Etruscan king's camp with some soldiers. On the other side of the river is another group of women who have already made the crossing, while in the background is the classical-looking Capitoline city. The work, as a small cartouche attests, is attributed to Domenico Lupini, an artist about whom not much is known but whose sphere of activity can be assumed to have been between Bergamo and Venice. The only two signed works are a 'Converted Magdalene' and an 'Annunciation', but other works have been attributed to him by scholar Federica Nurchis and are located in the monastery of Santa Chiara in Bergamo. The painting presents a warm and refined chromatism that, together with the elegance of the characters and the compositional mode, suggest Lucini's Venetian sojourn, which seems to recall the atmospheres of Tintoretto, Veronese and Palma il Giovane. The painting shows signs of restoration and retouching.

Allegories of Prudence and Justice

Oil painting on canvas. Italian school of the seventeenth century. The two paintings are probably part of a group depicting the four cardinal virtues, namely Justice, Prudence, Temperance and Fortitude. The allegories are represented in female figures, bearing some of the attributive symbols of the virtues they represent. Justice is recognized by the two most common attributes, the balance, symbol of equity and balance, and the sword, sign of distributive power. Prudence also has two symbols with it: a mirror, a symbol of circumspection that allows us to avoid the pitfalls of evil (it allows us to look behind us) or even a symbol of self-knowledge; and a snake, symbol of eternity and time, but also a symbol of prudence (in the Gospel Jesus says :"I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be prudent as snakes and simple as doves"). The two canvases, previously restored and relined, are in good condition. They are presented in an antique carved and lacquered wooden frame, with current small defects and damages.

Attr. to Domenico Lupini

Oil painting on canvas. The model derives from an engraving by Marcantonio Raimondi based on a drawing by Raphael, specially created for the graphic work, and derived from a painting located in the Stanza della Segnatura (1513-1515) in the Vatican Museums. This model was subsequently taken up and varied both in painted works and in other engravings, in particular in that of Raphael Sadeler of 1589, currently in the Cabinet of Drawings and Prints of the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo: the painting proposed here in fact shows the same changes made compared to the Raphaelesque original. At the center of the mythological scene immersed in a natural landscape, are the three goddesses who competed for the title of the most beautiful: Juno with the peacock, her symbolic animal, Venus accompanied by Cupid, and Minerva next to whom are the helmet, the spear and the shield. Paris, from behind, is giving the golden apple that declares the winner to the goddess of love, under the gaze of judge Mercury. Two putti flutter around the protagonists, while in the foreground, always from behind, there is a male figure. A country boarding school is taking place on the lawn behind. The work, as attested by a small scroll, is attributed to Domenico Lupini, an artist about whom not much is known but whose sphere of activity can be hypothesized between Bergamo and Venice. The only two signed works are a "Converted Magdalene" and an "Annunciation", but other works have been attributed to him by the scholar Federica Nurchis and placed in the monastery of Santa Chiara in Bergamo. The painting presents a warm and refined chromaticism which, together with the elegance of the characters and the compositional method, suggest a Venetian stay for Lucini, which seems to recall the atmospheres of Tintoretto, Veronese and Palma il Giovane. The painting shows signs of restoration and relining.

Oil painting on canvas. The mythological subject that portrays together the two divinities, symbol of profane love, has been amply illustrated in art: as in this work, Venus is usually depicted in a languid attitude, while exhibiting her naked Beauty; Cupid, dressed as a winged putto, is intent on extracting from the quiver one of his darts which induce falling in love, one of which is already stuck in the trunk behind the goddess. In the background an Italian landscape, with a small architectural structure. The shape of the painting refers to an original shaped frame. Restored and relined, the painting is currently presented in a period frame.