Oil on Canvas D. Teniers Attr. XVIII Century - Feast day in the Village

Oil on canvas. The subject depicted tells a biblical episode from the Old Testament: Susanna, the beautiful and chaste wife of Joachim, a rich Jew, is threatened by two elderly judges of the people while she is bathing in her garden. This episode has been widely reproduced in art, as an opportunity to exalt female beauty and condemn sinful voluptuousness. In the scene, the female figure of Susanna, half-dressed, sits in the foreground on the left, on the balustrade of a gushing fountain in the garden, intent on immersing herself, but pointing with her hand to the two old men on the right, who are spying on her, hidden behind a bush. Unusual in the scene is the figure of the other woman, probably a maidservant of Susanna, also half-dressed, probably introduced to further exalt female nudity. In the background appears the garden of the villa, characterized by symmetrical and regular flower beds. Also peculiar is the presence, in the distance behind Susanna's head, of three stylized figures, who seem to run towards her, perhaps to warn her of danger. The work, in the first canvas, has a slight break in the upper left, and small spots of paint. It is presented in an early 1900's frame.

Oil painting on canvas. The large painting recalls the pictorial methods of the 17th century but is from a later period, and was created on a canvas applied to an older one. The scene tells the biblical episode (taken from the Book of Kings) widely narrated pictorially, depicting the bath of Bathsheba, the wife of General Uriah, in the service of King David. According to the biblical story, David is on the terrace of his palace when he notices the woman bathing in the garden of her home, surrounded by her handmaids. Davide falls in love with her and seduces her, making her pregnant. To hide the crime, he recalls General Uriah from the front, to make him lie down with his wife, but Uriah does not want to leave his soldiers; then David sends him to fight on the front line hoping that he will be killed: this happens and David can marry Bathsheba, but he will be punished by God for the adultery and impiety committed. The painting shows the moment in which Bathsheba, having just come out of the bathroom, while she is reflected in the mirror held by a slave girl, and surrounded by other servants, reads the note that King David sent her; the latter appears at the top right, overlooking the terrace. The scene is dominated by female figures intertwined with each other, in a tangle of clothes and fabrics, and surrounded by flowers from the garden; in the center stands the mirror in a rich golden frame. The painting has a patch at the bottom right. It is presented in an antique gilded frame.

Oil painting on canvas. Southern Italian school of the 17th-18th centuries. The scene, full of characters, sees the figure of a leader standing at the centre, well defined in the details of the armour, the crest, as well as the anatomy: he is benevolently accompanying with the movement of his arms a kneeling man who, together to his companion, he is paying homage to an emperor, however indicating with his outstretched hand the group of six children, held back on the right by soldiers. The emperor has risen from the throne, on the left, and goes to meet the prostrate couple, but he too seems almost in an attitude of reverence towards the central leader. The scene seems to refer to a historical episode of clemency of a leader, who due to his age, features and type of armour, could be Alexander the Great, a character who, however, is difficult to match with the other figure crowned with laurel, who descends from the throne in the sumptuous palace . It is therefore not possible to specifically identify the episode (historical or legendary?) of reference. Furthermore, the compositional richness of the scene is appreciated, with numerous well-detailed figures and bright colors to underline its dynamism. The work, restored and relined, is presented in an antique frame.

Disciple of Peter Paul Rubens

Oil on canvas. The painting derives from the work by Rubens (1577 -1640) conserved in the Prado Museum in Madrid, reproduced as a counterpart in engraving by Paulus Pontius (1603 -1658), as also appears in this version. Occupying the vertical centre of the scene is the figure of Mary, whose face was inspired by that of Isabel Brandt, the Flemish painter's first wife, who died in1626 at the age of just 35. The Madonna holds the Child Jesus in her arms, who looks tenderly but seriously into her eyes, while a small hand rests on his mother's uncovered breast, from which he has just received nourishment; behind, standing, St. Anne wraps the shoulders of her daughter and grandson in a tender and protective embrace, smiling complacently: On the left side, somewhat separated and in the dark, Joseph watches pensively and worriedly: the only human figure who does not fit into the light emanating from the Child's face, radiating on Mary's and, by reflection, also on St. Anne's. Compared to the master's work, the composition of the figures is respected, but several details vary, particularly in the clothing of St. Anne, Mary, and the drapery that encircles the Child's hips, supporting the hypothesis that it is the work of a follower of the Flemish master. The painting, restored and re-tinted, is in good condition, with only a scratch in the colour in the top centre.

Oil painting on canvas. Central Italian school of the 17th century. The unusual and particular representation presents on the left the three figures of the Holy Family, with Jesus already a child, sitting at the table and blessing the simple meal they are about to consume (consisting of fruit and bread); the scene, a subject depicted rather rarely and generally with a more sacred character due to the presence of angels serving food to the family, here instead has the flavor of very normal and simple domestic intimacy. Instead, everything around the Holy Family stands out majestically, the glimpse of a Renaissance city, with tall buildings with loggias and colonnades, presented according to a beautiful perspective effect which leads, at the bottom on the right, to the entrance walls of a richly turreted city, probably Jerusalem. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a late 19th century frame.

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.

Oil painting on canvas. Italian school of the 17th century. The large composition presents a variety of foods on a kitchen table: on the left a large wicker basket full of vegetables, surmounted by a group of hanging fish; other vegetables are placed on the table top, next to a plate of cherries, one with a loaf of bread, and further back another with prawns; on the right stands a vase full of colorful flowers and, sitting on the shelf of a cupboard, a black cat calmly licking its paw. The sharpness of the colors stands out, enhanced by the reflections of light on some foods, such as cherries or prawns, and on the copper jug ​​in front of the flowers. The painting, restored and relined, is presented in a strip frame.

Oil painting on canvas. Emilian school of the 17th-18th century. This is an ancient copy of the famous panel painting by Correggio, entitled The Madonna of San Girolamo or Il Giorno, dating back to around 1528 and preserved today in the National Gallery of Parma. The subject of the representation is Saint Jerome's presentation to Jesus of the translation of the Bible from Hebrew into popular Latin, a work carried out by the saint at the request of Pope Damasus and which he accomplished by locking himself up in solitude in the Bethlehem cave. In the painting, the centrality of the scene is occupied by Mary sitting with the Baby Jesus in her arms. Various figures are composed around them in a semicircle. On the left is the powerful figure of old Jerome standing, looking at the Child, while clutching the translation scroll in his hand, with the lion, his hermit companion, crouched at his feet. On the same side, an angel holds the Bible while smilingly addressing the Madonna and Child. On the other side, Magdalene lies semi-reclining, affectionately embracing the baby's foot, who in turn caresses her hair, in an intimate gesture that underlines the intense bond between the two figures. Behind Magdalene, a little angel wrinkles his nose sniffing the penitent saint's jar of ointments. The scene is placed under a red curtain, open onto a large landscape. Correggio's painting was widely successful, so much so that numerous copies and ancient replicas exist, including this one presented here. The work, restored and relined, is presented in an ancient contemporary frame.

Oil painting on canvas. Flemish school of the 17th-18th centuries. The large scene takes place in a vast Nordic landscape, within a forest full of twisted plants, and on the right a city surmounted by rocky peaks. Inside the woods a large group of figures, popular but also high-ranking figures, all in oriental clothes, who form a circle around John the Baptist, portrayed in his traditional iconographic costume (dressed in skins, with the staff surmounted by the Cross and wrapped in the scroll, a little lamb at his feet): John's gaze is turned upwards, in line with a bird flying above the treetops, a symbolic representation of the Holy Spirit who inspires the preacher's words. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a late 19th - early 20th century frame.

Oil painting on canvas. Neapolitan school of the 17th century. A composition of variegated flowers, in light shades, is placed in a vase, black like the background, on a marble base, of which only the base can be distinguished, because it is covered with a fabric that is also black, of which only the golden trimmings stand out willing to create a game of curves; Two birds rest on both sides of the top, a large pigeon on the left holding a twig stolen from the composition in its beak, and a red-headed woodpecker on the right. Along the left margin a landscape opens up, with a tall curved tree under a dark sky, and a city in the background. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a late 19th century frame.

Oil on copper. Flemish school of the seventeenth century. The painting, attributed by oral tradition to Frans Francken the younger (1581 -1642), depicts a miraculous healing performed by Jesus: while he goes with his disciples, he meets on his way a sick man, probably with leprosy, a disease that involved isolation and banishment from the city; the man invokes Christ who performs the miracle and heals him. The painting places the event on the left edge of the scene, in the foreground, where the figures dressed according to the typical style of the times of Christ stand out for their bright colours; moreover, the landscape that fills the rest of the scene is decidedly Nordic, with a river full of water flowing in a countryside full of vegetation, and a city in the background under mountain peaks. The pictorial description of the vegetation is meticulous and precise, rich and well defined in the details: the broken trunk in the foreground, the fronds of the large tree behind the characters, the birds flying high in the sky, the small flowers on the shore, the nuances of the The water in which plants and clouds are reflected are painted with a pictorial refinement typical of Flemish painting, similar in style to that of the great Antwerp artist. The painting is presented in a repurposed antique frame.

Landscape with Figures

Oil painting on canvas. The large composition proposes a landscape with a large tree in the centre. to surmount with its sparse branches the countryside below, crossed by a stream and animated by various figures of commoners intent on activity or at rest; at the top right stands a fortress, which dominates the valley. Already attributed to Peruzzini from the Marches, the painting can certainly be traced back to his circle, due to the rapid and poorly aggregated pictorial strokes. Antonio Francesco specialized in landscape painting, undergoing the influence of Salvator Rosa and landscape painters such as Pietro Montanini and Pandolfo Reschi, and further influences also came to him from Nordic painters active in Italy, above all from Pieter Mulier known as il Tempesta. In his first works the originality of his painting can already be distinguished given a rapid drafting and an intense and brilliant chromatic timbre. The long artistic bond between Antonio Francesco Peruzzini and Alessandro Magnasco began in the early 1990s, following their meeting in Milan, where Peruzzini had settled; from this period onwards his painting seems to fall apart, through forms that become more dynamic and light, almost fantastic, to finally arrive at a style marked by an ever greater disintegration of the forms of nature and their movement. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a period frame.