Lot 32: Giovanni Francesco Briglia (Rome 1737-1794)

Giovanni Francesco Briglia (Rome 1737-1794)
Portrait of the artist, bust-length, in hunting dress, a rifle resting on his shoulder, with duck in flight beyond
oil on canvas
25 x 20¼ in. (60.9 x 51.4 cm.)

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price and at 17.5% on the buyer's premium.
Briglia was a pupil of the Roman painter Francesco Mancini and later studied under Marco Benefial. Although recorded as painter of hunting scenes and kitchen interiors, his works are scarce.

This self-portrait of the artist in hunting dress would appear to be a version of the work, signed and dated 1757, in a private collection (see B. Locker-Lampson, A Self-portrait by G.F. Briglia, Burlington Magazine, CII, 1960, p.537, fig. 37). Whereas in the picture of 1757, Briglia eyes the viewer impassively whilst clasping a dead hare, here the artist has depicted himself with a more enigmatic expression. This psychological study can be compared with the unsigned self-portrait in the Uffizi, Florence, which shows the artist laughing.

See lot 41 for another work by the artist.