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Out of stock"The Matterhorn with the blue lake" oil on canvas from the early 1920s by Giovanni Battista Costa (Rapallo 1858 - Genoa 1838). The painting has been restored. Giovanni Battista Costa was born in Rapallo in 1858 in a wealthy family and dedicated his entire life to art. He participated, since 1879, in the exhibitions of the Promoting Society of Fine Arts in Genoa and in numerous other important Italian expositions, exhibiting, until 1921, over 100 paintings, mainly landscapes, seascapes and portraits. In 1895 he was appointed Academic of Merit of Ligustica, where he, too, teached. He began his artistic studies at the Ligustica Academy (and partly in Rome), soon going from a painting linked to tradition to the execution of works from life, probably under the guidance of Tammar Luxoro director, from 1874, of the new Landscape School. Consequently, the links with the Genoese Gray School, the Rivara School (in Piedmont) and the Tuscan Macchiaiolo movement appear to be close. The analysis of some of his works lead us to bring Costa closer to some Lombard painters of the 19th century: for example Carcano, especially for the softness of the colours. He takes part in numerous national exhibitions: awarded in 1897 in Venice, he participates in the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in Turin in 1898; in 1906 we find it at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in Milan; also worth mentioning is his participation in the first Quadrennial Exhibition in Turin in 1902. Giovanni Battista Costa was also a skilled portrait painter and painted in Venice, Parma, Viareggio, Ivrea, Engadina, Valle d’Aosta. Even though he was shy and solitary, he was part of two important schools: the Ligurian Artistic Family (1893 -1910 circa) and the Teatro Group (from 1908); refers to the upper room of the Caffè degli Amici of the Carlo Felice Theater. He is an artist particularly attentive to the social problems of the late nineteenth century. His works appear, in retrospect, in Genoa at the exhibition of Ligurian Painters of the Nineteenth Century (Palazzo Rosso, 1938) and at the Commemorative Exhibition at the San Matteo Gallery, 1952. In his maturity he turned his interest to the representation of mountain landscapes. In conclusion, we can identify three different ways of painting by Costa: the first is related to academic painting, a bit rigid (church interiors and portraiture); the second, realist, with warm colours and close to the themes of the Grays and Rivarians (affinity with Benedetto Musso). Period: 1920s Measurements: In frame H 125 x W 195 x D 6 / Canvas H 101 x W 172 cm
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"Duendecitos" etching / aquatint by Francisco Goya y Lucientes (Fuentedos, Spain 1746 - Bordeaux 1828). Original etching - Plate 49 of the "Los caprichos" series - V edition on XII. Bibliography: Harris 84; Delteil 86. Provenance Vianzone, Turin. Dimensions in mm: 190 x 130 "Miren que grabes!" etching / aquatint by Francisco Goya y Lucientes (Fuentedos, Spain 1746 - Bordeaux 1828). Original etching - Plate 63 of the "Los caprichos" series - V edition on XII. Bibliography: Harris 98; Delteil 100. Provenance Vianzone, Turin. Dimensions in mm: 187 x 122 The Capricci represent the most famous series of engravings by the Spanish master: 80 plates including etchings and aquatints of large format, made in 1799. These are plates that give rise to imaginative, pungent and grotesque representations that are affected, on a stylistic level, by an Italian influence due to the long stay in Rome in 1770. The main theme is the description of the evils of the world, from deceptions to prejudices, up to the lies of the Spanish society of the years in which Goya himself lived, in a heated controversy towards the clergy and the nobility. At the time of their publication, the drawings caused a sensation, precisely due to the fact that numerous notables of the time were recognized in them. So much was the clamor that even the Holy Inquisition had to intervene, to avoid the publication of those prints deemed excessive and blasphemous. This was probably what determined the poor success of I Capricci, so that the painter was forced to sell the entire first print run to King Charles IV, in exchange for a scholarship for his son Javier. The success of the series increased with the second edition of 1855, until it became one of the most important and celebrated graphic works in the history of art. Period: Second half of the 19th century Measurements: In frame H 45 x W 33 x D 2.5 cm / H 19 x W 13 cm // In frame H 44 x W 32.5 x D 2.5 cm / H 18.7 x W 12.2 cm
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"I am Bonconte da Montefeltro ... So wounded at the top of the throat ..." Oil on canvas by Giancarlo Cori. Painted in 1984, the year in which he paints his last works. Confirmation of authenticity by his son Nicolò Cori. Period: 1984 Measurements: In frame H 84 x W 113.5 x D 3.5 / Canvas H 78 x 107.5 cm
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Out of stockNeoclassical painting, oil on original late 18th century panel, with carved and gilded frame. Period: End of the 18th century Measurements: In frame H 55 x W 84 x D 6 / Table H 39 x L 68 cm
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Out of stockChinese lacquered cabinet from the 20th century. Furniture made of carved and black lacquered wood, with 2 doors and a day compartment. In excellent condition. Period: 20th century Measurements: H 95.5 x W 88.5 x D 59 cm
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Oil on tablet, Luigi Locatelli. Painted tablet by Luigi Locatelli, depicting mother with child on a fence, signed lower right. No frame. Locatelli Luigi (known as Bigì) (Bergamo 1904-1983) after his first training with his father, he enrolled at the Carrara Academy. Before the age of twenty he starts working for the Milan gallery owner Zecchini. In the 1930s he moved to Paris where he became friends with the great Italian artists who lived in the French capital. After about ten years he returns to Italy settling in Bologna where he works as a restorer. Period: 1934 Measurements: H 41 x L 33 cm
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"San Grato Di Aosta with the head of the Baptist" oil on canvas from the first half of the 18th century. The work has been restored. An important legend flourished on the account of San Grato, now proven to be completely anachronistic, which goes by the name of Magna legenda Sancti Grati and is attributed to canon Jacques des Cours, who lived in the 13th century. The story of the discovery of the head of St. John the Baptist, a relic often associated with San Grato in popular iconography, dates back to this tradition. Beheaded by a whim of the beautiful Salome, the head of the Forerunner by order of King Herod Antipas was buried in a well separated from his body, for fear that he might miraculously rejoin it and John might rise again. Grato had a vision from the Lord, in which he was shown the secret location of the burial. He left Aosta in the company of his companion Giocondo, received the Pope's blessing in Rome and then embarked for the Holy Land. During the crossing, a great storm broke out, which threw terror among the sailors, but Grato, raised his arms to the sky, which instantly returned calm. When he arrived in Macheron, near the ruins of Herod's castle, an angel guided him, taking him by the hand and leading him to the well where the head of the Baptist had been for centuries. Immediately the relic rose to the surface and settled in Grato's outstretched palms. Period: First half of the 18th century Measurements: H 110.5 x W 97 x D 2 cm