NEAPOLITAN ARTIST
active between the 17th and 18th century
Allegory of Autumn
oil on canvas, cm 242×305
Set in a dark landscape, two young girls are reclining on the ground as dusk falls. In the immediate foreground we can note a fountain with a sculpted figure. Seen against the light, it provides a sense of perspective to the composition as a whole. The background contains a capriccio of ruins and a hedge surrounded by a latticed fence. Vases, flowers and fruit populate the scene. The presence of grapes, watermelon and squash indicate the early autumn. Indeed, this is an autumnal allegory, as we can deduce from the bunch of grapes held by the girl, the watermelon and the squash. The painting, typical of the Baroque decorative culture of the late 17th century and the first few decades of the following century, is an expression of arcadian tastes pervaded by early classicism. It can be compared to works by artists such as Aniello Ascione, active in Naples, remembered for his Still Life with Flowers, Fruit and Cherubs in the Museo Correale in Sorrento. Meanwhile, the figures in the foreground and the putti clearly evoke the great Baroque artists of the Kingdom of Naples, such as Luca Giordano and his follower Paolo de Matteis.
Publications:
“La natura morta napoletana del Settecento”, edited by Achille della Ragione, Edizioni Napoli Arte, Naples, 2010, p. 138, tav.198.
