Composition of fruit supported by three angels, Roman school of the early 1638th century Luigi Garzi (Pistoia 1721 – Rome XNUMX)

Roman school of the early 18th century
Luigi Garzi (Pistoia 1638 – Rome 1721) attributed
Still life of fruit supported by three angels

Oil on oval canvas
116 x 91 cm., in frame 140 x 119 cm.

Authentication on photograph by Prof Giancarlo Sestieri, who attributes the work to the sphere of Luigi Garzi

Complete details of the previous painting: https://www.antichitacastelbarco.it/it/prodotti/natura-morta-di-frutta-sorretta-da-tre-angeli

This magnificent canvas, depicting a sumptuous composition of fruit supported by three prosperous winged cherubs, from which emerges a parchment bearing the Latin expression "Amor est vitae essentiae", is to be placed in the production of a Roman author active between the second half of 17th century and the beginning of the following century.
The iconography featuring cherubs with fruit or flowers is frequent in the Baroque period, especially in the Roman context, starting from the 600s, with that particular figurative tendency aimed at illusionistic and frivolous images, a typology of paintings or frescoes of strong value decorative, intended for private contexts and depicting riots of putti, angels or cherubs, and of which our canvas represents a perfect example.
We can remember, among the most illustrious iconographic precedents, the elegant mirrors painted by Mario Nuzzi and Carlo Maratta which decorate the hall of Palazzo Colonna in Rome, and also the canvas preserved in the Rouen museum and similar ones in Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia, with the collaboration for the figurative parts of Filippo Lauri.
The commercial and furnishing success of similar works is also demonstrated by authors such as Guglielmo Cortese known as il Borgognone (1628 – 1679), Franz Werner Von Tamm (1658 – 1724), Giovan Battista Gaulli (1639 – 1709), Giovanni Paolo Castelli known as Spadino (Rome 1650 – 1740) and the aforementioned Carlo Maratta (1625 – 1713).
The work, studied by Giancarlo Sestieri, was brought closer to the scope of the eclectic painter from Pistoia Luigi Garzi, one of the protagonists of Roman painting in the decades of transition between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In our painting we can find the typical elements of his painting: the soft and delicately chiaroscuro light, the sculptural classicism of the figures as well as the stupendous luminous and chromatic effects.
Luigi Garzi's training and artistic activity took place in the Eternal City and he was in all respects a Roman artist. Having moved to Rome from Pistoia, his hometown, at a very young age, he joined the atelier of Andrea Sacchi, who directed his studies towards classicism, comparing himself with the works of Raphael, Domenichino and Nicolas Poussin, but also with that of Emilia , with particular attention to the school of Guido Reni.
But the Emilian examples were undoubtedly placed before him, particularly favoring Giovani Lanfranco, who modeled his taste and style, together with a modulated Cortonianism, while those pre-eighteenth-century sensibilities are due to the lesson of Carlo Maratta.
However, there is no doubt that the painter oriented his personality without ever giving in to imitation, achieving a refined elegance and autonomy of language, as is well demonstrated by the canvas in question in which the different influences find a refined amalgam and in perfect harmony with the baroque evolution between the 17th and 18th centuries, indicating a dating to its first maturity.
These aptitudes led the painter to obtain recognition and prestigious commissions as soon as possible, such as the frescoes in Palazzo Borghese and San Carlo al Corso, where the memories of Domenichino and Reni emerge, up to the dome of the Cybo Chapel in Santa Maria del Popolo. Returning to the work, we can then assume a mature chronological placement, due to the peculiar drafting, which is based on brushstrokes in enamelled shades and a heartfelt classicism.

The painting is in excellent condition, with a beautiful antique frame.
The work is accompanied by a certificate of photographic authenticity in accordance with the law.

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