Lot 234: A Palm Sunday procession

Cesare Tiratelli (Italian, 1864-1933)
A Palm Sunday procession
signed and inscribed 'Tiratelli C/-.Roma.-' (lower left)
oil on canvas
29 5/8 x 15 3/16 in. (75.5 x 38.5 cm)
Painted in Rome.

THE PROPERTY OF A LADY

Like his father Aurelio, Cesare Tiratelli studied at the Accademia di San Luca in his home city of Rome, and it was in the daily life of its inhabitants and the surrounding campagna that he sought inspiration.

The present work brings vividly to life a typical scene from 'La Ciociaria' a region within the province of Lazio famed for its folkloric traditions, and a steady source of inspiration for artists including Filippo Indonni and Gustavo Simoni. Here Tiratelli depicts the end of the mass on Palm Sunday, with the villagers walking down a rural path on a spring day. The artist uses a bright but saturated palette, particularly notable in the costume of the two figures in the foreground, and a deftness of touch which brilliantly captures the ethereal atmosphere of spring and the budding flowers.

The picture is striking for combining a light-heartedness typical of genre painting with a strong sense of realism. Grasping not only the finer details of fabric, texture and local colour, the artist has focused on depicting real, rather than idealised people, all of whom bear strongly expressive features.

Tiratelli has further enlivened his work with a dramatic composition, which extends outwards towards the viewer; indeed he frequently presented his figures square on (fig. 1) to heighten the sense of immediacy. In the present work, the little girl appears startled, as if she had bumped into the viewer on the path, while the background is pushed forward by the slope of the hill.