Coastal Landscape With Fort, Italy 17th century

Pandolfo Reschi known as Monsù Pandolfo (Danzica 1643 - Florence 1699), attributable
Coastal landscape with fortified city, castle with tower, and battle scene
oil painting on canvas
Measurements: canvas 90 x 120, with frame 104 x 134

This expansive coastal landscape, with a fortress-city overlooking the sea and a small castle with a watchtower, serves as the stage for an eventful battle scene between soldiers and, presumably, a band of brigands.

It is an illustrative typology attributable to Pandolfo Reschi (Danzica 1643 - Florence 1696), known for his works in which he perfectly combines the airy landscape of Tuscan-Roman matrix with images of knights in battle or brigands intent on their raids.

Pandolfo Reschi was born in Gdansk but from an early age he moved to Rome where he began his brilliant career following the style of Salvator Rosa, even if his real teacher was the Flemish-Italianized Livio Mehus. With Mehus and Rosa he refined his skills as a battle painter and was later taken to the workshop by the Borgognone, even if his main occupation was that of a genre painter.

The decisive turning point in his career came after his transfer to Florence, around the middle of 1660, where he continued his studies with Livio Mehus. After a decade he was now an established and highly coveted painter, so much so that in 1670 he was hired by the Medici court as protege of Cardinal Francesco Maria de Medici, with whom he lived from 1680 until the end of his days.

His paintings were highly appreciated and ordered by the major Tuscan noble families of the time, such as the Marquises Gerini and the Corsini princes, who loved to furnish their residences with their large animated landscapes.

The work is presented in an excellent state of conservation, completed by an antique wooden frame gilded with gold leaf.