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FRANCESCO GRAZIANI (active in Naples and Rome in the second …
See original version (Italian)
Lot no. 41
Description
FRANCESCO GRAZIANI
(active in Naples and Rome in the second half of the 17th and early 18th century)
Clash between Turkish and Christian cavalries
Clash of European Chivalries
Oil on canvas, 16.5X21.5 cm (2)
Provenance:
Milan, private collection
Introduced by Salvator Rosa frames with three rows of carvings, the paintings are exemplary for understanding the style and quality of Francesco Graziani; an artist whose fame is linked to this peculiar pictorial genre, as the ancient inventories of Roman collections from the Baroque period show. For example, the description of the Barberini picture gallery compiled in 1686 mentions several of the painter's battles and seascapes that are no longer identifiable, and the famous Pallavicini Gallery, whose catalogue is the work of Federico Zeri, also records works of his that are considered fundamental and reveal a figurative culture between Courtois and Salvator Rosa. Even in the absence of a catalogue raisonné, Graziani's production reveals a remarkable talent, characterised by drafts with fractured and curled manners, capable of evoking with surprising effectiveness the agitated movement and narrative of war scenes. Therefore, one must recognise the author's autonomy of intent with respect to the artists mentioned above. In fact, as is evident from the canvases under examination, Graziani masterfully combines, in tune with Baroque flair, the taste for sketch-like execution with the descriptive needs of a war event, and it is sufficient to observe how the rapidity of the brushstrokes does not detract from the objectivity of the images and the atmospheric setting. Observe, for example, the skilful use of the brown preparation that blends with the smoke and dust, just as the depth of the landscape is perfectly evoked by thin lines of white lead that delineate the scenic planes in which buildings and horsemen are outlined with brushstrokes. As a result, Graziani must be acknowledged as playing a far from secondary role in the Capitoline art scene, to the detriment of those critics who stubbornly distinguish the value of artists according to genres, putting their painting skills in second place.
The canvases are accompanied by an expertise by Enos Malagutti from 1975.
Reference bibliography:
F. Zeri, La Galleria Pallavicini in Rome, Florence 1959, p. 145
W. Buchowiecki, Handbuch der Kirchen Roms, I, Wien 1967, pp. 415, 647
L. Salerno, I pittori di paesaggio del Seicento a Roma, Roma 1977-1978, vol. II, pp. 644-654
F. Titi, Studio di pittura, scoltura et architettura nelle chiese di Roma (1674-1763), edited by B. Contardi ; S. Romano, Florence 1987, I, pp. 21, 209; II, pp. 57, 386 s
F. Titi, Studio di pittura, scoltura et architettura nelle chiese di Roma (1674-1763), edited by B. Contardi, S. Romano, Florence 1987, I, pp. 21, 209; II, pp. 57, 386
G. Sestieri, I Pittori di Battaglie, Rome 1999, pp. 360-371
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