Painting of Saint Joseph and the Baby Jesus

Flemish School of the 17th century. Oil on panel. The penitent saint is recognizable by her attributes, the ointment jar, the book and the skull. Signed "VD Werff" on the bottom left. Sealing wax export stamp from the 19th century on the back. There are longitudinal cracks in the panel. Presented in a late 19th century gilded frame

Oil on canvas. Mary is depicted here in an attitude of suffering inner concentration, her gaze turned downwards, her head resting on her hand, her expression sad; even though she is haloed, the human dimension prevails in this painting, the suffering mother. Behind her is a deserted and barren landscape, accentuating her solitude and suffering. Restored and relined, the painting is presented in a period frame.

The Ancient Baptistery of Gravedona

Pencil and watercolor on paper. Signed lower left. Of the same subject but with characters, there is a version on canvas by the Milanese artist, preserved in the civic Raccolta d'arte Museo dell'Ottocento of Villa Belgioioso Bonaparte, in Milan. Luigi Bisi specialized in interior views of churches in Lombardy, with a predilection for the Milan Cathedral. The work is presented in a frame.

Copper panels decorated with enamels. This is a 19th-century reproduction of the enamelled Cross of Paschal I (817-824), an important staurotheca in embossed and gilded copper, which contained within it minute fragments of the Cross of Christ, and which became part of the Treasure placed by Leo III (795-816) in the oratory called Sancta Sanctorum in the Lateran. The Cross is made up of five panels, arranged in the shape of a Latin cross, on which seven episodes from the life of Jesus are depicted with lively enamel figures. In the upper panel are the Annunciation and the Visitation of Mary; in the centre panel is the Birth of Jesus; on the left is the Flight into Egypt and on the right is the Adoration of the Magi; and finally in the lower arm is the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple and the Baptism of Jesus. The panels are composed on a wooden base and presented in a glass case frame.

Oil on canvas. Central European school of the late 19th-early 20th century. Unidentified signature on the lower right. The landscape glimpse shows a countryside with coniferous woods, crossed by a stream and dominated by rocky peaks. The painting is presented in a golden frame from the early 20th century, with decorations and friezes.

Oil painting on canvas. Central European school of the late 19th century. The Madonna sits on the throne, with Jesus asleep on her lap; on both sides a group of little angels, dressed as children of different ages, play instruments and sing: their concert is perhaps the lullaby that accompanies the sleep of the Divine Child. The scene is depicted painted in a marble altar, on whose side balustrades the angels are placed; behind Mary there is a lunette with a starry sky, while at her feet there is a dove and olive branches, symbols of peace. The work is presented in a period frame.

Oil painting on canvas. Bottom right signed Borella and dated 1894. It is probably Rafael Borella (1874 -1953), a painter born and trained in Milan but then moved to Uruguay. His first Italian production includes Venetian and Val d'Aosta landscapes. This painting, which offers a mountain view, with meadows crossed by a stream near which a fisherman sits. The scene could therefore be a youthful production by Borella, suited to him in terms of subject and style. The work is presented in a contemporary frame.

Oil on panel. Northern European school of the late 19th century. In the composition inside a shed, hunted game lies on a level; on the left the muzzle of the hunting dog appears but is turned towards a nest full of chirping birds, located above the shaft of the carriage seen on the right. The painting is presented in a period frame.

Chromolithography on paper, enriched by silver metal applications that define the halos of the Virgin and Child. The oval lithograph is also placed in a display case which is also exquisitely enriched with silver and gilded metal inserts, which define further frames with purely floral motif decorations. The representation presents the Madonna holding the rosary crown in her hand and the Baby Jesus in her arms, flanked on the sides by two saints of the Dominican order. The further frame with glass is made of wood with golden carvings.

Madonna with Child

Oil on hardboard. Signed lower right. Francesco Mazzucchi, an artist originally from the Pavia area and active in Lombardy, dedicated himself mainly to sacred art, leaving his works in some churches in the Vigevano area. Proposed here is this delicate and tender depiction of the Madonna with Child, in the colors and scene, which sees mother and son in a moment of domestic intimacy, intent on playing with the pigeons in the garden. In frame.

Oil on canvas. It probably depicts a tragic anti-Semitic event. On the right, a wounded soldier in Russian uniform is witnessing the dramatic scene of a slaughtered family while the rabbi is preying for them. The broken window and the upside down drawers make clear that the killers broke into the house. On the left of the mirror, there is a Jewish writing that may suggest the location. The word may be translated as 'Ciro' and may be referring to the areas of Georgia and Azerbaijan near the Kura (river flowing from Turkey to the Caspian Sea, known as 'Ciro' in 1800s). The painting, restored and relined, is presented in a frame of the 1800s.

Oil on wooden board. The painting pictorially reproduces the famous sculpture by Michelangelo, the Pietà of San Pietro or Pietà Vaticana. The composition of the figures is quite faithful to the reference work, but, as well as being painted in colour, it is placed in an open-air setting that refers to Renaissance painting, with the hill of Calvary emerging in shadow on the left. A coat of arms is painted at the bottom left, evoking a noble patronage. The work is presented in a period frame. It has several spots and small drops of color.