Lot 150: Elisabetta Marchioni (active in Rovigo, 2nd half of the 17th century)

Elisabetta Marchioni (active in Rovigo, 2nd half of the 17th century)
Roses, parrot tulips, carnations and other blooms in an urn on a stone ledge
oil on canvas, oval
26½ x 21 in. (67.4 x 53.4 cm.)

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.
The present lot compares closely with a pair of paintings by Elisabetta Marchioni in the Seminario Vescovale di Rovigo and with two sets of four pictures in private collections (see G. and U. Bocchi, Naturalier. Nouvi contributi alla natura morta in Italia settentrionale e Toscana tra XVII e XVIII secolo, Casalmaggiore, 1998, pp. 419-20 and 422-3, figg. 528-33 and 537-40). All pictures share a similar composition, in which delicate flowers, primarily roses, tulips and carnations overflow from a sculpted urn placed on a ledge emerging from a dark background. Marchioni's compositions are endowed with a strong sense of monumentality, accentuated by the juxtaposition of vibrant reds and the darkness of the background.