Giorgio Cerani, known as “Giorgio dei Paesi”
Active in Cremona between the 17th and 18th century
signed and dated “G. Cerani F. 1706”
oil on canvas, cm. 70×105
The warm atmosphere of a late afternoon over three centuries ago, on the banks of the Tiber near Ripa Grande. In this painting, the artist renders with great sensibility the golden Roman light and the languid, weary occupations of the common people, long accustomed to the city’s spectacular architecture, its enchanting landscapes, and its ancient monuments and ruins. These latter, although drawn from life, are skillfully assembled into an imaginative composition executed in the studio, combining sketches taken in various locations, as was customary among painters at the time.
The author of this ‘romantic’ pastiche is the rare painter Giorgio Cerani, known as ‘Giorgio dei Paesi’ (‘Giorgio of the landscapes’) also remembered as a portraitist, active in Cremona where he studied under Miradori.
The rediscovery of this remarkable painting, alongside the revealing the artist’s signature and the date 1706, constitutes an important contribution to the critical reconstruction of the Cremonese landscapist’s oeuvre, now known to have been active well into the early 18th century.