Lot 23168: ERULO EROLI (Italian 1854-1916) The Martyrdom of

ERULO EROLI (Italian 1854-1916) The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian Oil on canvas 80 x 110 inches (203.2 x 279.4 cm) Signed lower left: Erulo Eroli / Roma Erulo Eroli was a Roman figurative painter who was involved in the revival of tapestry weaving in Italy. He founded the Eroli weaving mill in his former painting studio in the Via del Babbuino, and was assisted by former female students from the Roman Institute of San Michele at Ripa, where he had previously been a teacher. By the 1920s, his sons Pio and Silvio inherited the mill, which was the only tapestry works left in Italy. Like their father, the sons worked exclusively in a monumental figurative style which can be seen in the present painting. Further research may reveal that the present painting had been translated into a tapestry design.