Lot 112: Niccolò Cassana (Venice 1659-1714 London)

Doves nesting and a falcon in a mountainous landscape
oil on canvas
36 1/2 x 53 1/2 in. (92.7 x 135.9 cm.)

Niccolò Cassana is perhaps better known for his portraits than his still-lives. A close friend of Grand Prince Ferdinando de' Medici, he visited Florence a number of times and painted many portraits for the Medici. It is his celebrated portraits of the Grand Prince's gamekeepers that are relevant to the present picture. These portraits, for example that of Giuliano Baldassarini (Uffizi, Florence), are often enhanced by the presence of animals and display a freedom of handling and vivid realism that is so characteristic of Niccolò Cassana.

We are grateful to Professor Nicola Spinosa for confirming the attribution after inspection of the original.

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