Antonio Tibaldi, Still Life 1670, Oil on Canvas

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Description

Antonio Tibaldi (Rome, c. 1635 - post-1675)

Still Life with a Vase of Flowers, Fruit, and Precious Objects

Oil on … Read more Antonio Tibaldi (Rome, c. 1635 - post-1675)

Still Life with a Vase of Flowers, Fruit, and Precious Objects

Oil on canvas
82 x 118 cm.
Framed 97 x 134 cm.

This work is accompanied by an expert opinion by Professor Emilio Negro (Bologna).

This painting, beautifully scenic and beautifully detailed, depicts a posed nature amidst an opulent display of precious objects. The scene is set between a watered silk curtain and a wooden console table, on which sits an embossed metal vase filled with colorful flowers, fruit, including a lemon and juicy peaches with velvety skin. On the right, the composition is completed by a precious engraved silver censer with a lid, a gilded candlestick with a lit candle, an ancient book (there are illegible traces of an inscription or signature on the side of the book), and a majolica plate, placed on a drape with gold tassels and fringes.

The entire composition is expertly orchestrated with a theatrical feel, set in a dark interior, a choice that highlights the contrasts of light and highlights the dense consistency of the pictorial impasto used to depict the details of the objects on display.

The particular selection of objects presumably allows us to interpret the work's meaning in an allegorical manner, placing it within the sphere of the so-called Vanitas, and thus aiming to lead the viewer to meditate on the futility of vain glory and earthly riches.

Regarding the work's pictorial characteristics, we can easily attribute it to a 17th-century Italian painter, attentive to detail and stylistic refinements drawn from the teachings of the finest Flemish masters of his time and previous generations. The clear, post-Caravaggesque Roman influences are evident in the bold contrasts of light and the dense, overflowing pictorial material.

These elements allow us to attribute the painting to Antonio Tibaldi (Rome, c. 1635 - documented until 1675), a talented painter and imitator of Francesco Fieravino, known as "Il Maltese," who specialized in this type of rich, scenographic compositions, imbued with exquisite detail, characterized by specific recurring elements such as opulent tapestries, curtains, musical instruments, books, clocks, fruit, flowers, and other precious collectibles.

Tibaldi worked primarily in Rome, where his presence and fame are evidenced by his many prestigious commissions: his creations are still held today in the most important public and private collections, such as those of the Albani, Barberini, Chigi, and Colonna families.

To confirm the attribution proposed here, simply compare our captivating "Still Life with Objects and Fruit" with other similar works by Antonio Tibaldi: for example, the well-known "Still Life with Tapestries, Metal Vases, and a Violin" and "Still Life with Tapestries, Metal Vases, and a Bronze Statue" (both in Ajaccio, Musée Fresh), the "Still Life with Maltese Dog, Tapestries, Statue, Clock, and Sheet Music" (signed 'Ant. Tibaldi', formerly London, Christie's, December 18, 1998, no. 297), and the signed "Still Life with Clock, Vase of Flowers, a Lute, a Guitar\." (Dorotheum Vienna, October 23, 2018, lot 205, https://www.dorotheum.com/en/l/6002367/).

Excellent condition.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The work is sold with a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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