Items Similar to Oil on Canvas Painting Portrait of the Italian Noble Family of Zanardi Count
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 14
Lucia Casalini TorelliOil on Canvas Painting Portrait of the Italian Noble Family of Zanardi Count1740 circa
1740 circa
About the Item
This museum quality old master oil on canvas formal portrait painting depicting the family of the Count Zanardi is signed by the artist- the female painter Lucia Casalini Torelli- and published in a book dedicated to Casalini Torelli’s workshop and academy.
This palatial masterpiece artwork comes directly from the ancient Villa Maraini Guerrieri - Palidano di Gonzaga (Mantua), an historic Italian heritage building owned by the descendants of the family portrayed for more than two centuries, until 1998.
The big scale of this oil on canvas masterpiece painting states the relevance of Lucia Casalini Torelli as a painter. The present artwork is a formal family portrait painting that aim to introduce the characters depicted according to their social role in the society. The noble family is all gathered under a loggia overlooking a park, the landscape in the background is partially covered by a beautiful red cloth on the right side.
The father stands up and holds the hand of his eldest son, proudly introducing his future heir. The son wears a light-blue dress and red boots, he is depicted in a serious pose holding a black tricorn hat under his arm and a rapier sword on his belt.
The mother wears an elegant gold and dark green brocade dress, she is sitting with her youngest daughter on her knees while her second son is by her side. The little daughter wears a lovely long red and dress with white lace and holds an apple on her hand. The son stands next to his mother and is dressed in a brown priestly clothes.
This palatial old masters piece was probably painted in 1740 due to the similarities with Cardinal Doria’ s portrait, now on display at the Doria Palace Museum, the official residence of the Prince of Genoa.
The painting features original canvas (“prima tela”) and antique original patina, it is in excellent overall condition considering the age, use and its large scale. A formal detailed condition report and the results of the inspection with the UV lamp accompanied by photos is available on request.
As well as for its exceptional quality and quite perfect state of conservation, this painting is particularly important and even more valuable both for the artist who painted it and for its absolutely exclusive provenance.
Lucia painted the most prominent and powerful noble families of her time, the location of these paintings is unknown to the art market as it is extremely likely that the portraits are still kept in private collections.
Furthermore, Lucia was one of the most appreciated artists of her time, so important that she was admitted as a member of the academy at a time when women were forbidden to attend these studies.
In 1706, Felice Torelli-Lucia's husband- was one of the founders of the Accademia Clementina; Lucia was elected an honorary member in 1726, a few years after Rosalba Carriera became a member of the Academy. The active participation of Lucia and Felice in the Academy contributed to their artistic and social success in Bologna. Her self portrait is at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
As regards the provenance, this old master painting come directly from Villa Maraini Guerrieri - Palidano di Gonzaga (Mantova) owned by Zanardi family - whose descendants are still alive- on the occasion of the important auction of the entire furnishings and fine art objects of the villa.
Also, from the date of its execution (around 1740) until its sale in 1998, the painting has always been kept in the private villa of the Zanardi counts, this certainly contributed to its excellent state of conservation.
The villa is a historic building built in 1746 and was owned by the family until 1998.
The charming and distinctive feature of the Villa is represented by the fact that, from its construction up to 1998, belonged to the same noble family lineage and, therefore, it was kept, together with the decorations, furniture and paintings in it contained, with extreme confidentiality, without ever being disclosed or exhibited to the public.
Measures: Height 240, Width 217 cm. Signed low left “Casalini Torelli Fece”
Literature: Prof. I. Graziani, ‘La bottega dei Torelli’, Editrice Compositori, 2005, pp. 105, 205.
Irene Graziani is a prominent scholar and professor at the University of Bologna who dedicates her research activity to Emilian painting of the 18th century, recently she has also published a monograph on Stefano Torelli, son of Lucia, who became the official painter at the court of Catherine of Russia.
Biography:
Lucia Casalini Torelli (Bologna 1677-1762) started her career when she was 13 years old, she was the pupil of Giovan Gioseffo dal Sole, a famous baroque painter. She married the painter Felice Torelli and two of their seven children, Stefano and Anna, become painters. Lucia and Felice married in 1701, and soon opened their own studio with students. The works of art of their "bottega" were soon very appreciated. Casalini Torelli's works were mostly of sacred subjects, but she also specialized as a portrait painter, creating portraits of the prominent Bolognese and Northern Italian families of the era. Lucia Casalini Torelli was one of the principal female italian painters of the 18th century. Felice Torelli was one of the founders of the Accademia Clementina; Lucia was elected an honorary member in 1726. The active participation of Lucia and Felice in the Academy contributed to their artistic and social success in Bolognese during the first half of the 18th century. One of her self-portrait is exposed in the Corridoio Vasariano at the Uffizi Museum, Florence.
Stefano Torelli, Lucia’s son, become court’s painter of the Russian Emperor and depicted the famous “portrait of Catherine II in coronation dress”. The interest in the contemporary Italian paintings approached to the Russian court thanks to Empress Catherine. The empress, celebrated as great patron of the arts and literature, was amazed by the sophisticated and meticulous works of Casalini Torelli. The Historical and sacred theme, combined with the French portraiture technique of the Grand Sieclè, guaranteed to the Torelli family a privileged place in the Empress collection.
It’ s not a coincidence if nowadays in the Hermitage, originally the gallery where Catherine showed to her closer guest her private collection, are on display some works of this Bolognese family of painters.
- Creator:Lucia Casalini Torelli (1677 - 1762)
- Creation Year:1740 circa
- Dimensions:Height: 94.49 in (240 cm)Width: 85.44 in (217 cm)Depth: 1.19 in (3 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Framing:Framing Options Available
- Condition:Original canvas and patina. The whole surface is stable and uniform, bright and saturated colors. No signs of invasive restoration. Formal condition report and UV lamp pictures available on request. Artisanal custom hand made frame on request.
- Gallery Location:Firenze, IT
- Reference Number:
About the Seller
5.0
Vetted Seller
These experienced sellers undergo a comprehensive evaluation by our team of in-house experts.
Established in 1950
1stDibs seller since 2018
16 sales on 1stDibs
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Firenze, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
More From This SellerView All
- Italian 18th Century Oval Religious Oil on Canvas Painting with Saint DominicBy Francesco de MuraLocated in Firenze, ITThis beautiful Italian 18th Century old masters oil painting on oval canvas with giltwood frame is attributed to Solimena and features a religious scene. In this splendid oval-shaped painting are depicted Saint Dominic...Category
18th Century Old Masters Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil, Canvas
- Venice Landscape Italian Oil on Canvas Painting in Gilt Wood Frame, Belle EpoqueLocated in Firenze, ITThis delightful turn of the century (early 20th century) oil on canvas painting represents an Italian landscape with one of the most famous squares in the world: Piazza San Marco in ...Category
Early 20th Century Impressionist Landscape Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- French 19th Century Oil on Canvas Blue and White Music Allegory Cherub PaintingLocated in Firenze, ITThis romantic French 19th century allegoric oil painting on square canvas has a sky blue background, a fluffy cloud fills the central part of the painting where a woman is lying down playing the lyre, while a graceful cherub seems to twirl over her. This oil on canvas painting represents the allegory of music - with a woman dressed in classical clothes and a putto- a very popular theme during all the neoclassical age, with its lively scene inspired by the Rococo period. The composition creates a awesome trompe-l'œil effect thanks to the color palette scheme. Well painted white and gray shadings (chiaro scuro) that stands out from the light blue background in typical grisaille style. This painting originally was an over door frieze...Category
19th Century Rococo Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- Italian Oil on Canvas Painting Coat of Arms in Gold Leaves Panel and Black FrameLocated in Firenze, ITThis huge Italian 19th century armorial painting features the coat of arms of Montini, a noble Italian family that has among its ancestors the Archbishop of Milan, later known as Pope Paul VI. The large oval canvas has a brown and red background, the latter shaped like a shield, in which six mountains (from the etymology of the surname) and three white fleur de lis are painted. This big scale palatial oil painting...Category
Late 19th Century Italian School Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil, Canvas, Wood
- J. Brunner 1869 Oil on Canvas Austrian Landscape with Lake and Mountain PaintingLocated in Firenze, ITThis very fine quality 19th century oil on canvas in dark brown wood frame with gold leaves details throughout is signed by Joseph Brunner (Vienna 1826-...Category
19th Century Romantic Landscape Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Wood, Oil
- Antique Oil on Canvas Painting "Dancing Nymphs" Mythological Landscape SceneLocated in Firenze, ITA luxuriant forest is the romantic and lyrical landscape where the dance of the nude nymphs takes place in this joyful 19th Century antique oil on canvas painting featuring a mythological scene. Dance of the Nymphs and Naiads is a myth inspired by the tales of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, a subject already much loved in the Renaissance period as an allegory of rebirth - as in one of the most famous paintings in the world the Spring by Sandro Botticelli- then reproduced throughout the neoclassicism by academic painters -due to the renewed interest in classical artworks following the discovery of archaeological sites- and taken up later, with ecological purposes and meanings, also by the Barbizon school and Impressionist artists. The present artwork – signed Vagner low left and datable to the second half of the 19th century - is closely inspired by an important work by the great Camille Corot, which is now housed at the Musée d'Orsay (Paris). This historical oil on canvas painting, featuring a joyful scene with the three graces and other dancing nymphs...Category
19th Century Barbizon School Landscape Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
You May Also Like
- Portrait of a GentlemanLocated in New York, NYCircle of Jacques-Louis David (French, 18th Century) Provenance: Private Collection, Buenos Aires Exhibited: “Art of Collecting,” Flint Institute of Art, Flint, Michigan, 23 November 2018 – 6 January 2019. This vibrant portrait of young man was traditionally considered a work by Jacques-Louis David, whose style it recalls, but to whom it cannot be convincingly attributed. Rather, it would appear to be by a painter in his immediate following—an artist likely working in France in the first decade of the nineteenth century. Several names have been proposed as the portrait’s author: François Gérard, Louis Hersent, Anne-Louis Girodet (Fig. 1), Theodore Gericault, and Jean-Baptiste Wicar, among others. Some have thought the artist Italian, and have proposed Andrea Appiani, Gaspare Landi...Category
18th Century Old Masters Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- Portrait of a Lady with a ChiqueadorLocated in New York, NYProvenance: Torres Family Collection, Asunción, Paraguay, ca. 1967-2017 While the genre of portraiture flourished in the New World, very few examples of early Spanish colonial portraits have survived to the present day. This remarkable painting is a rare example of female portraiture, depicting a member of the highest echelons of society in Cuzco during the last quarter of the 17th century. Its most distinctive feature is the false beauty mark (called a chiqueador) that the sitter wears on her left temple. Chiqueadores served both a cosmetic and medicinal function. In addition to beautifying their wearers, these silk or velvet pouches often contained medicinal herbs thought to cure headaches. This painting depicts an unidentified lady from the Creole elite in Cuzco. Her formal posture and black costume are both typical of the established conventions of period portraiture and in line with the severe fashion of the Spanish court under the reign of Charles II, which remained current until the 18th century. She is shown in three-quarter profile, her long braids tied with soft pink bows and decorated with quatrefoil flowers, likely made of silver. Her facial features are idealized and rendered with great subtly, particularly in the rosy cheeks. While this portrait lacks the conventional coat of arms or cartouche that identifies the sitter, her high status is made clear by the wealth of jewels and luxury materials present in the painting. She is placed in an interior, set off against the red velvet curtain tied in the middle with a knot on her right, and the table covered with gold-trimmed red velvet cloth at the left. The sitter wears a four-tier pearl necklace with a knot in the center with matching three-tiered pearl bracelets and a cross-shaped earing with three increasingly large pearls. She also has several gold and silver rings on both hands—one holds a pair of silver gloves with red lining and the other is posed on a golden metal box, possibly a jewelry box. The materials of her costume are also of the highest quality, particularly the white lace trim of her wide neckline and circular cuffs. The historical moment in which this painting was produced was particularly rich in commissions of this kind. Following his arrival in Cuzco from Spain in the early 1670’s, bishop Manuel de Mollinedo y Angulo actively promoted the emergence of a distinctive regional school of painting in the city. Additionally, with the increase of wealth and economic prosperity in the New World, portraits quickly became a way for the growing elite class to celebrate their place in society and to preserve their memory. Portraits like this one would have been prominently displayed in a family’s home, perhaps in a dynastic portrait gallery. We are grateful to Professor Luis Eduardo Wuffarden for his assistance cataloguing this painting on the basis of high-resolution images. He has written that “the sober palette of the canvas, the quality of the pigments, the degree of aging, and the craquelure pattern on the painting layer confirm it to be an authentic and representative work of the Cuzco school of painting...Category
17th Century Old Masters Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- Male and female portrait, both in silk kimono, possibly textile dealersBy Christoffel LubienieckiLocated in Amsterdam, NLCHRISTOFFEL LUBIENIECKI (1659-1729) Pair of portraits of a gentleman and a lady, both in silk kimono, before a country house (circa 1680) Indistinctly signed “C.......” on a box under the man’s left hand Oil on canvas, 79.5 x 67 cm each Both sitters are portrayed wearing a silk “Japanese” coat. During the second half of the seventeenth the Japanese silk coat, an adapted Japanese kimono, became a real vogue in the Dutch elite. The exclusive Dutch trade contacts with Japan can explain the popularity of the kimono-style silk coats in the Netherlands. Everybody who could afford one, dressed in such a fashionable and comfortable coat and, like the present sitters, some proud owners had themselves portrayed in a “Japanese” coat often together with an oriental carpet to underline their standing and international connections. These portraits are the work of the Polish-born portraitist Christoffel Lubieniecki (also known as Lubienitski, Lubinitski or Lubiniecki) Lubieniecki was first trained in Hamburg under Julian Stuhr and after 1675 in Amsterdam under Adriaen Backer and Gerard de Lairesse. He specialized in landscapes, generally of an Italianate character, and in portraits. The loving execution of these contented burghers, enjoying the garden vistas of their country house, places him alongside Amsterdam portraitists such as Constantijn Netscher and Michiel van Musscher...Category
1680s Old Masters Portrait Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- 17th Century by Giovanni Battista Beinaschi Saint Bartholomew Oil on CanvasBy Giovanni Battista BeinaschiLocated in Milano, LombardiaGiovan Battista Beinaschi (Fossano, 1636 - Naples 1688) Saint Bartholomew Oil on canvas, cm. 96 x 71,5 – with frame cm. 108 x 86 Shaped and gilded ...Category
Mid-17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- 18th Century by Pietro Bardellino Mary Magdalene Painting Oil on CanvasBy Pietro BardellinoLocated in Milano, LombardiaPietro Bardellino (Naples, 1731 – Naples, 1806) Mary Magdalene Oil on canvas, cm. 75 x 60 – with frame cm. 97 x 82 Antique shaped and carved wooden frame Publications: unpublished T...Category
Mid-18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- 17th century By Neapolitan maestro San Vincenzo Ferreri Oil on canvasLocated in Milano, Lombardia“Timete Deum et date Illi honorem quia venit hora iudicii Eius” (Fear the Lord and honour Him, for the hour of His judgement has come): the passage from John's Apocalypse (chapter 14...Category
17th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
Recently Viewed
View AllMore Ways To Browse
Paintings Of The 18th Century
Family Photo
Sale Oil Paintings On Canvas
Antique Paintings And Portraits
Large Italian Canvas Painting
Portraits Of Black Women
Italian Oil Paintings Of Florence
Antique Painting Techniques
The Future Perfect
Large Portraits Photo
Large Paintings On Sale
Italian Historical Painting
French Paintings Of Parks
Gold Noble
Master Exclusive
Scholar Painting
The Great Clothes
Book Of The Future