Portrait, 18th Century, Oil on Canvas, Framed

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Period: 18th century style: other style condition: good condition material: oil painting width: 80height: 96 a curious and lively genre … Read more Period: 18th century style: other style condition: good condition material: oil painting width: 80height: 96 a curious and lively genre scene depicting a young mandressed as a picaro, with an ironic smile and a deliberatelymocking expression, captured as he shows the viewer an object of asuggestive nature, resting on a scroll bearing the inscription “che ridere signori” (how funny, gentlemen).his attire, worn with ostentatious swagger and embellished with precious and theatrical elements, such as the feather on his hat and thegolden chain, transforms the protagonist into a figure suspended between popularreality and the mask of the commedia dell’arte,evoking that taste for theater, double entendres, and caricature thatcharacterized figurative culture between the 17th and 18th centuries.the work fits into the tradition of burlesqueand allusive scenes that developed within lombard painting, continuingthe legacy of vincenzo campi, bartolomeo passerotti, and annibale carracci,artists who introduced a popular narrative dimensioninto italian painting, often playing on double meanings and social satire.particularly evident is the iconographic relationship with thefamous che ridete son’agli by alessandro magnasco, whosegeneral composition this work echoes, reinterpreting it with amore explicit and provocative variation. In this type of painting, the smile, thegesture, and the object displayed become tools of a subtle symbolicconstruction, intended not for the general public but for a cultured circle ofconnoisseurs capable of grasping its erudite and theatrical references.the pictorial quality, the expressive power of the face, and thetaste for elegant caricature allow the painting to be placedwithin the circle of alessandro magnasco.dimensions:96 x 80 cm (with frame)71 x 55.5 cm (without frame)additional information: the work is sold accompanied by acertificate of authenticity and warranty. See less