40 - FEDERICO CERVELLI
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Estimate €20,000 - €30,000

Description

FEDERICO CERVELLI (Milan, 1625 – 1700) Hercules and Omphale Oil on canvas, 191 × 160 cm Previously attributed to Antonio Bellucci (Venice, 1654; Soligo, 1726), this painting is striking for its formal elegance and rich colour palette, but also for its echoes of Pietro Liberi and a distinctive expressive quality that invites direct comparison with the works of Federico Cervelli (Milan, 1625; 1700). The artist, who trained in Lombardy and frequented Pietro Ricchi’s studio, is in fact documented in Venice when he was just over thirty years old, turning his attention precisely to the works of Liberi and Sebastiano Mazzoni, whilst not neglecting the legacy that Luca Giordano left to the lagoon city. From these diverse influences, Cervelli developed his extremely captivating, dynamic and sensual style, characterised by intense naturalism, compositional fluidity and a pre-Rococo chromatic luminosity, which make him a ‘Sebastiano Ricci ante litteram’ (Pallucchini), reminding us of the artist from Belluno’s time in his workshop. Our thanks go to Giorgio Fossaluzza for the attribution. Bibliography: R. Pallucchini, *La pittura veneziana del Seicento*, Milan 1981, Vol. II, figs. 1008–1010 U. Ruggeri, ‘New Works by Federico Cervelli’, in *Studi di Storia dell’Arte*, 12, 2001, figs. 11–12 A. Pasian, ‘Federico Cervelli: “pittore di buona macchia”’, in *Arte Veneta*, 68, 2011, pp. 114–141

See original version (Italian)

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About the sale FROM THE CURTIS COLLECTIONS AT PALAZZO BARBARO: PAINTINGS, FURNITURE AND WORKS OF ART

Auction location

Auction time 09/29/2026 at 2:45 PM

Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House

40 - FEDERICO CERVELLI See original version (Italian)

40 - FEDERICO CERVELLI
See original version (Italian)