Lot 204: Rebecca at the well

Giovanni Antonio Fumiani (Venice c. 1645-1710) Rebecca at the well oil on canvas, unframed 67 x 113 in. (170.2 x 287 cm.)

170.2 x 287 cm.

Born in Venice, Giovanni Antonio Fumiani received his artistic training in Bologna, in the studio of the quadraturista Domenico degli Ambrogi (1600-1678), before returning to his native city in 1668. His work was informed by the strong classicising strain of the Bolognese school, ultimately deriving from the Carracci, together with an interest in the lively colouring and decorative spirit that were essential to the Veronesian revival towards the end of the seventeenth century, influences that can be detected in the present lot. His greatest achievement was the remarkable decoration of the ceiling in San Pantalon, Venice, a tour de force of sotto in sù illusionistic painting: such was its vast scale, the project took some twenty years to complete, beginning in 1684 and finishing in 1704. We are grateful to Professor Ugo Ruggeri for confirming the attribution, on the basis of photographs.