Battle with clash between knights, Francesco Graziani 'Ciccio Napoletano' (active in Naples and Rome in the second half of the 17th century)

Francesco Graziani, known as Ciccio Napoletano (active in Naples and Rome in the second half of the 17th century)
Battle with clash between knights

Oil painting on canvas
cm. 95 x 130 – In period frame cm. 114 x 148

Expertise E. Negro

In this interesting painting we see a lively scene of armed combat between armored knights depicted, bordered on the horizon by hills and a sky crossed by white clouds that are illuminated by glimpses of light. You can see a ruined round tower, some fortifications and a dense column of smoke, where in the foreground, on the left, there is a fallen knight with his standard, in the center two duelists armed with pistols and around them numerous men on horseback engaged in the fight.

It is therefore a canvas celebrating the deeds performed during a war campaign, although difficult to identify, but probably occurred in the second half of the seventeenth century as evidenced by the types of armor and costumes of the fighters.

Both the invention and the stylistic qualities of the painting strongly refer to the prestigious pictorial school of battle artists of Neapolitan origin which prospered in the second half of the 17th century, highlighting its typical stylistic characteristics. In particular there is a thick material with warm and full-bodied colours, the painting is then uniformly illuminated by a particular light, useful for turning the volumes of the figures and smoothing the shapes; these shades and the marked physiognomic characteristics of the characters effectively outlined with a few touches of the brush.

This pictorial movement was headed by talented masters such as Salvator Rosa, Jacques Courtois known as il Borgognone and Marzio Masturzo. But it is to the works of Francesco Graziani, known as Ciccio Napoletano (active in Rome and Naples during the second half of the 17th century), that our painting can easily be linked, although the singular brilliance of the colors and the brightness of the scene would not disfigure the painted alongside similar compositions executed by the previously mentioned battle authors.

Although there is little certain data regarding the training (many sources report that he was a pupil of Borgognone) and the subsequent activity of Francesco Graziani, it is known that in the last decades of the 17th century he moved from Naples to Rome, soon becoming a very successful painter in the patronage of the City.

The general character of the works presents that synthesis of rapid touches and vigorous emphasis perfectly attributable to Graziani's catalogue, who composes his scenes with crowded movements where the characters are outlined with a rapid and nervous, almost curled line, reinvigorated by effective luministic touches.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The work is completed by a beautiful antique frame and is sold with a certificate of authenticity and guarantee.

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