Giovanni Battista Torriglia Furniture

A fascinating oil on canvas painting depicting a group of monks in a wood carving studio, this oil on canvas was painted by Giovanni Torriglia in the late 1800s. The darkened tones used by Torriglia (black and brown) are offset by a gilt frame with foliate details above a deep cavetto molding. Five monks are gathered around a workbench inside a workshop covered in shadows. One of the young monks, who is wearing glasses, is manipulating a sheer green fabric across the only light source: a shuttered window behind our quintet. Two senior clergymen sit behind the workbench on slatted Savonarola chairs. They gaze with delight at a junior monk hammering a chisel into wood, sculpting a winged angel. A final youthful monk leans on a wonderfully carved sgabello chair, watching the apprentice closely. The colors are splendid, accentuated by tiny nuances such as the wood chips on the floor, various completed sculptures behind the monks, and a green-leafed tree visible outside the window. Giovanni Battista Torriglia...