Pittore italiano del XVIII/XIX secolo - Still-life, Natura morta con frutta

\Artist: Pittore italiano del XVIII/XIX secolo
Technique: Oil on canvas\Signature: Not signed\Dimensions: 96_12_73_cm
Italian painter of the 18th-19th century. Still-life, Natura morta con frutta Oil on canvas, 70 x 48 cm – not signed. Frame size: about 85 x 63 x 6 cm. Notes: With certificate of warranty and lawful origin. Not signed. Work with gilded frame (with flaws) . " . . . Splendid antique painting, oil on canvas, from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, depicting a still life. The work, in good condition, depicts a classic of 17th, 18th and 19th century iconography, where he takes up the widespread and tried-and-tested scheme of 'Still lifes', in this case made up of a fruit composition. Fruit, together with flowers, is one of the most depicted natural subjects in works of art, especially in paintings. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century there was a great variety of paintings with fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, bread, legumes as a subject. The multitude of images testified to the richness and complexity of the culinary tradition of the country from which they came, and this is especially true for Italy. Not only the food, but also the container in which it was portrayed is significant: there are silver, gold, crystal vases, stone, copper, porcelain containers; each indicated the choice of the client to make available to the painter the objects he wished to immortalize. The foods depicted varied according to the territory in which the painting was made, and indicated the typical foods of the place, or of which the artist could dispose. Looking at the assortment of food we can draw a map of the markets of the time and regional specialties: in the Neapolitan paintings for example, we find cedars, lemons, oranges, artichokes, asparagus, cauliflower, beans; in the Genoese ones there is a multitude of fish of each type; in Venice white asparagus, peas, artichokes were produced; in Bologna mortadella, olives and raisins; in the Florentine paintings we find salami and marzolini cheeses. The artist painted the foods that he had easily available, and looking at them we can understand what territory he was originally from; it was in fact very expensive at the time to procure non-local or off-season food just to portray it, since still lifes had a very low selling price. The still life in question depicts juicy fruits, among which we recognize grapes, peach and pears, some present in a decorated container, and others scattered on the table. Dominating the foreground and standing out from the dark background is the fruit that, luxuriant and juicy, stands out for the vivacity of its colours in contrast with the dark background. The full-bodied brushstrokes that outline with abundance the velvety skin of the peaches, to restore the realism of the fruit, as well as the green leaves of the stems softly bent on themselves are outlined with extreme veracity, ascribe the work to a talented painter operating in Italy towards the end of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth century (no later than the first half of the 1800s) . The canvas is in rather fair overall condition, considering its age, the surface is dirty and shows a patina. There are no serious conservation issues and the original canvas is supported by an old re-lining that does not seem to require restoration. In natural light, there is a fine craquelure consistent with the painting’s age. Canvas size: 70 x 48 cm. The painting is sold without frame, although the work is placed in a recent frame (frame size about 85 x 63 x 6 cm) . Good-sized and pleasant as décor, for antique dealers and collectors. Origin: private collection. Publication: \t. Unpublished; \t. I MITI E IL TERRITORIO nella Sicilia dalle mille culture. INEDITA QUADRERIA general catalogue of the paintings in the collection of the cycle ‘I Miti e il territorio’, Editore Lab_04, Marsala, (now printing, 2021) . The painting is complete with a beautiful gilded frame (with flaws) , offered as a gift. We guarantee accurate packaging with outer wooden crate and inner bubble wrap / cardboard / polystyrene (packaging cost: approximately €100. 00) and tracked shipping (€100. 00 Italy) . For export, the work is subject to a new request for Certificate of Free Circulation (European Community) or Export Certificate (Extra-EU Transport) at the export office (Soprintendenza del Territorio) with additional times and costs (€300/€500, all inclusive: shipping, packaging, and export documents) .