Francesco Monti called 'Brescianino delle Battaglie (Brescia, 1646 - Parma, 1703)
Battle scene

About the Item

Francesco Monti, known as Brescianino delle Battaglie (Brescia, 1646 - Piacenza, 1703) Battle scene Oil on canvas, 90 x 117.5 cm Framed 112 x 139.5 cm Francesco Monti, better known as Il Brescianino or The Brescianino of Battles, was born in Brescia in 1646. Pellegrino Antonio Orlandi (1704), who was his first biographer, informs that he had as his master the Lucchese painter Pietro Ricchi. All the following literature has embraced the news, mostly assuming that the alumnuship took place during Ricchi's Venetian sojourn, placed in the third quarter of the 17th century. The total absence of data on Monti's early activity, however, makes it almost impossible to assess the importance of Ricchi's style in his formation, and, on the other hand, it is not easy to identify derivations from the master in his later production. Monti was, however, also a pupil of Jacques Courtois known as Borgognone, according to Orlandi himself and a letter sent to Monti by his friend Carlo Giuseppe Fontana in 1694, reported in the monograph devoted to the Brescian-born artist by Arisi (1975, p. 34). Burgundy's teaching, although its chronological and geographical circumstances are unknown, must have played a decisive role in Monti's refinement as a painter of battles. The difficulties of outlining a certain catalog of his work, however, in the absence of a sufficient amount of documented paintings, are also reflected in the definition of this artistic relationship. During his formative phase, the artist pursued numerous trips that took him to various places on the Peninsula: particularly significant was the one to Naples, where he had the opportunity to observe firsthand the work of Salvator Rosa, which strongly conditioned his entire pictorial production. Having reached full artistic maturity, Brescianino entered the service of the Farnese family on a permanent basis in 1681.There are numerous works, mainly on war subjects, created by the artist for the centers of Parma and Piacenza in the last two decades of the seventeenth century. Particularly appreciated at the Farnese court, the artist was able to build a prolific workshop in Parma, at which figures such as Giovanni Canti, Ilario Spolverini, Angiolo Everardi, known as the Fiamminghino, and Lorenzo Comendich were trained. Monti's paintings are characterized by wide spaces "that are lost among the smoke and dust," by the tangle of armed men in the foreground with unhorsemen unhorsed and horses soaring in the last moment of life. In addition to battles, which certainly constitute the most substantial and interesting segment of his production, the painter executed paintings with religious themes and seascapes in which the influence of Pieter Mulier, known as The Tempest, with whom he had a deep friendship, can be seen. After setting up an active and established workshop, the artist, who was particularly successful at the Farnese court, died, probably in Piacenza, in 1703 (Sestieri, 1999, p. 206). The canvas in question depicts a clash of knights with firearms. The brilliant armors of the fighters stand out against a cloud-laden sky, facing the outline of a city and a striking natural landscape. The scene is shot in close-up, following a ploy typical of the battles painted by Francesco Monti, so that the viewer feels like a direct witness to the scene he or she is witnessing. This turns out to be one of the key features of the Brescianino's production, to which are added great chromatic vivacity, the interplay of various perspectives and careful stage direction.

Creator:
Francesco Monti called 'Brescianino delle Battaglie (Brescia, 1646 - Parma, 1703) (1646 - 1703)
Dimensions:
Height: 35.44 in (90 cm)Width: 46.07 in (117 cm)
More Editions & Sizes:
90x117 cmPrice: $21,066
Medium:
Canvas,Oil
Period:
17th Century
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Milan, IT
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU2639215520262

Adele Pinot
by Adele Pinot, Madonna in Adoration of the Child, 1848

$4,166

After Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato, Holy Family

By Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato

Located in Milan, IT

19thC Follower of Giovanni Battista Salvi, known as Sassoferrato (Sassoferrato, 1609 - Rome, 1685) Holy family Oil on canvas, 80 x 88 cm Framed, 114 x 120 cm Giovanni Battista S...

Category

19th Century Other Art Style Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

After Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato, Holy Family, 19th Century

$6,713

After Michelangelo Merisi, known as Caravaggio, Deposition of Christ

By Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio

Located in Milan, IT

19th century, from Caravaggio Deposition of Christ Oil on canvas, 53 x 42 cm Framed, 66 x 54 cm The work under consideration, an oil on canvas set within a gilded frame, recove...

Category

19th Century Other Art Style Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

In creating this piece, I was driven by the enchanting interplay between nature and human emotion. The fluidity of water and gentle caress of the lotus flowers are mirrored in her pe...

Category