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Felice Boselli
Still life with two women Oil painting on canvas by Felice Boselli

About the Item

Felice Boselli (Piacenza, 1650 - Parma, 1732) Still life with two women Oil on canvas, 98.5 x 164 cm Frame 108 x 175.5 The refined composition depicting a floral still life with two women is attributable by stylistic and formal characteristics to the Emilian painter Felice Boselli (Piacenza, 1650 - Parma, 1732). Trained in Michelangelo Nuvolone's workshop in a fervid and stimulating environment, Boselli was active mainly in his hometown of Piacenza and in Parma, where in 1680-87 he executed tempera paintings and frescoes for the palace of the Sanvitale counts of Fontanellato, whose court painter he was until after 1710. A multifaceted artist, Boselli tried his hand not only at still lifes, but also at portraits, frescoes of a religious nature (painted in 1702 for the church of Santa Brigida in Piacenza and well exemplified by the sacred background Ecce Homo) and mythological scenes. In the genre of still life painting, his main references were the study and observation of regional and local works, drawing inspiration from the genre scenes of Annibale Carracci and the works of Parmigianino, especially in terms of the figurations. However, there was no shortage of other references, starting with Angelo Crivelli (known as the Crivellone), an animalist specializing in game known in the period of his training, the painters of the Bergamasque school in particular (Baschenis and Bartolomeo Bettera), and ending with Nordic ancestry and Neapolitan examples. A total of nearly a hundred still lifes are known of Boselli, most of which are preserved in museums in Lombardy and Emilia, as well as a good number of paintings representing episodes of daily life with cooks, pigs, ox heads, chickens, game, and fish, often "signed" with the depiction of a kitten (signifying Felix). In the still life analyzed here, two women hold a basket and a colorful garland of flowers that even comes to decorate the statue of a satyr placed on an elegant balustrade. One of the women leans over the parapet delicately extending her hand in the gesture of plucking a white carnation, while the other holds up the basket, looking complicitly at the viewer. Both appear richly attired and embellished with pearl parures and wide hats, also decorated with vibrant flower arrangements. The detailed and meticulous description of different floral species illuminated by vivid strokes of light is striking. For comparison see two works by Boselli of the same subject and similar composition: the Flower Girl, dated to the first decade of the 18th century, and the Girl with Game (1720-1730) located in a private collection in Vaprio D'Adda.
  • Creator:
    Felice Boselli (1650 - 1732, Italian)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 42.52 in (108 cm)Width: 69.3 in (176 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Period:
    Late 17th Century
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Milan, IT
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2639213034892
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