Il gioco dello schiaffo
Francesco De Mura (Napoli, 1696 – Napoli, 1782) o bottega
Francesco De Mura (Naples, 1696 – Naples, 1782)
and workshop
The Game of Slapping (Jeu de la Main Chaude or Le Frappe-Main)
Oil on canvas
68 x 136
Antique frame 75 x 141 cm.
This fascinating painting, depicting a group of children playing the ‘slap game’ – a typical 18th-century pastime – is an extremely significant work attributable to the Neapolitan master Francesco de Mura (Naples, 1696 – 1782) and his workshop.
The work forms part of a trend that spread throughout Europe in the 18th century, originating from the many series of images depicting cherubs at play, and is fully in keeping with the grace, lightness and taste for amusement characteristic of the Rococo style.
The putti (childlike cupids or cherubs) abandon the solemnity of the Baroque to become the protagonists of playful and comical scenes, devoting themselves to carefree pastimes: they fly kites, blow soap bubbles, wrestle with pretend wooden swords, play musical instruments or engage in games typical of that period.
As well as serving an ornamental purpose, these carefree figures symbolise the fleeting nature of youth, innocence and the triumph of a hedonistic, carefree world, in keeping with the ‘plaisir de vivre’ of the time.
And, particularly in eighteenth-century Naples, this theme took on a particularly charming form, where the grace of European Rococo blended with the theatrical vivacity typical of Neapolitan culture. During the Bourbon era, Naples was one of Europe’s cultural capitals, and the figure of the playful putto filled noble palaces, churches and royal workshops.
Francesco De Mura, one of the leading exponents of Neapolitan Rococo, played a central role in the spread of this pictorial trend, interpreting it through his highly personal stylistic signature based on aristocratic elegance, light colours and an extraordinary scenic luminosity
Returning our attention to our painting, attributed to Francesco De Mura or a pupil from his successful workshop, we see a depiction of the ‘slap game’, in which one player is bent over to cover their face whilst another approaches and delivers a light blow (a ‘slap’) to their back, after which the player must guess the other’s identity.
De Mura devoted a great many works to this type of subject, drawing on prints by the French artist Jacques Stella (1596–1657) as his iconographic source. These were taken from a famous series entitled ‘Les jeux et plaisirs de l’enfance’, dedicated to children’s games and populated by cherubs and children, and in particular to number 28 ‘Le Frappe-Main’ (i.e. the “slap game” or “soldier’s slap”) (fig. 1).
Another source of inspiration was a series of engravings by Giacinto Gimignani entitled ‘Scherzi e giuochi diversi de putti’ (1647), one of which depicts the slapping game (Fig. 2).
These series of prints became a veritable repertoire of visual models for decorative painters of the 18th-century Rococo period, such as Francesco De Mura in Naples, but also François Boucher in France.
In the case of our artist, the Neapolitan painter does not slavishly copy the original prints, but instead reworks them in a fully Rococo style, modifying the poses and the dynamics of the figures according to a precise formal logic. Finally, he does not draw on a single plate, but freely combines the range of poses from various prints.
Let us now consider other variations on this specific subject created by De Mura; in particular, we shall mention two works: one that was sold at Christie’s (fig. 3, Francesco De Mura, Putti disporting in a landscape, London, 10 July 1992) and a second, with a similar composition, now at the Italian Consulate General in New York (fig. 4, Francesco De Mura, Gioco di putti, New York, Consulate General of Italy).
Francesco De Mura became one of the foremost practitioners and popularisers of this successful secular theme (often used for over-door panels, decorations in noble palaces and furnishings), to the extent that it was widely adapted, imitated and varied by the painters in his circle and workshop.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The work is set in a lovely gilded frame and comes with a certificate of authenticity and guarantee.
We arrange and organise the transport of purchased artworks, both within Italy and abroad, using professional, insured carriers. It is also possible to view the painting at our gallery in Riva del Garda; we would be delighted to welcome you to show you our collection of artworks.
Please feel free to contact us, with no obligation, for any further information.
Follow us on: