Lot 72: Genoese School of the 18th century - Pair of port scenes with shipwrecks

Oil on canvas. Dimensions: 180 x 297 cm (with frame), 205 x 322 cm (with frame). The first of the works is accompanied by a report signed by D. Enrique Valdivieso, which places the piece in the period 1710-1715. The painting reflects a historical event related to the clashes between the Turkish naval forces and the Order of Malta. On the back, an old label is preserved indicating that the work was restored in Marseille by the company Glize Fils. Regarding the second of the works, a report signed by D. Enrique Valdivieso is also included with the piece and places it around 1710.

In the scene depicted, a naval battle can be seen in which six Turkish ships and four ships of the Order of Malta participate next to a bay. It is worth noting that since 1701, the Order of Malta had four ships named San Juan, Santiago, Virgen del Pilar and San José.

Naval battles were a recurring theme in the Genoese school since 1610, when the Flemish painter Cornelis de Wael dedicated himself to depicting costumbrist scenes and naval combats between Christian and Turkish vessels with great intensity and detail. Both works come from the collection formed by the cleric Antonio Barroeta y Ángel, a native of Ezcaray (La Rioja), who came to occupy the post of bishop of Lima and Granada.