Splendid oil on canvas painting depicting the Allegory of Europe

oil on canvas

102 x 76 cm.

with frame: 119 x 93 cm.

We are sharing a work of great importance, capable of enthusing not only for its strong scenic sense but also for the vividness of its colours and the great intensity of the subject represented, a true masterpiece of Neapolitan Baroque painting.

We are talking about an oil painting on canvas from the 18th century, which sublimely re-proposes a subject conceived by Solimena and which was then a profound success. It is the Allegory of Europe, which together with three other compositions, namely the allegories of Asia, Africa and America, belonged to the series of personifications of the 'Four Parts of the World' that Francesco Solimena painted in 1738.

Originally executed as frescoes, they were conceived to decorate the private chamber of Charles III of the House of Bourbon in the Royal Palace of Naples to celebrate his marriage to Maria Amalia of Saxony.

The centrepiece of the representation is a female figure, depicted with regal attributes, seated with an imperious air while holding a model of an architectural building (a temple) with her left hand, aided by a putto; with her other hand she points to a crown and papal tiara, resting on a plinth bearing the name Europa.

Of these wall paintings, which were lost during the fire that destroyed the flats in 1837, several studio versions remain, many of them oval in format, such as the four canvases now in the Doria Pamphilj Gallery in Rome (http://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/66616/Solimena%20Francesco%2C%20Allegoria%20del...), and traditionally considered preparatory sketches for the fresco. Other paintings are held in private collections or passed on the antiques market:

- Berlin, Alte Nationalgalerie

- Hazlitt Gallery, London (UK), reported in 1960: http://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/fotografia/119503/Anonimo%20-%20Anonimo%20napoletano%....

- Blindarte, Rome, auction 94, 30 Nov 2019: https://www.blindarte.com/home/cataloglot/14738

- Sothebys, New York, 26 May 2022: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/master-paintings-and-drawings-part-ii/allegories-of-the....

The proposed canvas in particular is the work of Solimena's workshop, most likely executed by and under the supervision of the same master. Examination of the technique of execution reveals a rapid drafting, typical of model paintings, and the analysis of the cretto would also indicate a coeval date and thus a probable genesis in the master's workshop.

The painting offered here can in fact be compared with the prototype in the Doria Pamphilj Gallery, although the composition is specular, and could therefore be another version executed with some variations by a pupil in his studio. In the then capital of the Austrian viceroyalty, Solimena gave life to a prestigious workshop in which some of the greatest painters of 18th-century Naples were trained.

The painting is in excellent condition.

The canvas is adorned with a valuable gilded frame.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The work is sold with a certificate of authenticity and descriptive iconographic card.

We take care of and organise the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers. Should you have the desire to see this or other works in person, we will be happy to welcome you to our new gallery in Riva del Garda, Viale Giuseppe Canella 18. We are waiting for you!

Contact us for any information, we will be happy to answer you.

In case of purchase of the work by non-Italian customers, it will be necessary to obtain an export permit, which takes about 10/20 days; our gallery will take care of the whole phase until it is obtained. All costs of this operation are included.

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