Offered by Antichità Castelbarco
Pier Francesco Garola (Turin 1638 - Rome 1716)
Architectural capriccio with coastal view
Oil on canvas 74 x 99 cm With frame 87 x 112 cm
Reference bibliography: G. Sestieri, Il capriccio architettonico in Italia nel XVII e XVIII secolo, Foligno, 2015, II (pp. 62-81).
The canvas on offer, a beautiful example of architectural fantasy, is a work of excellent quality by the late Baroque painter Pietro Francesco Garola (Turin 1638 - Rome 1716), a leading figure in the depiction of Roman ruins and fantastical architecture, known as “capriccios”: the painting, which is extremely charming and evocative, provides us with a typical example of his imaginary views, showing us the façade of an imposing classical palace, inspired by Italian architecture and featuring mighty marble columns, seen from an angle that continues the scene through an elegant panorama that flows into an evocative coastal view.
Our work, probably executed towards the last decade of the 17th century, is conceived with a theatrical sensibility, where the monumental palace and the view in the distance seem to be part of a single scenic setting, with the figures portrayed in oriental-style clothes looking like real theatre actors.
His skill in the use of perspective, the skilful rendering of architectural decorations, and the intense use of chiaroscuro are the elements that made him extremely famous, giving his works a great compositional elegance, which also characterises this painting.
In support of the attribution, we can cite some works published by Giancarlo Sestieri in the volumes on architectural capriccio published in 2015 (which we show in the detail photos), such as the pendant attributed to Pier Francesco Garola, formerly Padova Galleria Antiquaria G. Morosini, depicting “Architectural Capriccios with Stories of David” in which, although they have a complex composition, we can find numerous compositional details that are similar to those in the painting in question (II, p.80, figs. 26 a-b).
Furthermore, we recognise striking stylistic similarities with the “View of Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome” (Christie's, London, 22 April 1994, lot 244) and also the “Capriccio with classical buildings and triumph of David”, also published by Senstieri (vol. II, p.70, fig. 13 and p. 71, fig. 14b).
His works are preserved at the Galleria Sabaudia in Turin, the Pinacoteca del Museo Civico Ala Ponzone in Cremona, the Galleria Pallavicini, the Galleria Spada and the Galleria dell'Accademia Nazionale di San Luca in Rome, as well as in many other prestigious public and private collections.
Delevery information :
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Should you have the desire to see this or other works in person, we would be happy to welcome you to our gallery in Riva del Garda, Viale Giuseppe Canella 18, we are always open by appointment only.
