Bidspirit auction | Manner of Francesco Montelatici called

Manner of Francesco Montelatici called ”Cecco Bravo”, 17th century Italian school (illegible signature), mythological scene of Venus Next to the Lion - Canvas measurements only: 65 x 55 cm, frame measurements: 80 x 70 cm. Francesco Montelatici, known as Cecco Bravo (Florence, November 15, 1601 - Innsbruck, December 11, 1661), was an Italian painter, active during the Baroque. A relatively unknown artist, he has experienced a revaluation during the last century, to the point of being considered one of the most interesting and daring painters of 17th century Florence. He began his apprenticeship in the workshop of Giovanni Biliverti and later also in that of Sigismondo Coccapani. In the 1620s he participated in the large decorative projects directed by Matteo Rosselli. In 1629 he opened his own workshop. His earliest preserved works demonstrate an attentive study of the Florentine tradition, from Andrea del Sarto to Pontormo. He worked on the decoration of the Buonarroti House in Florence, painting La Fama and later, the Portraits of Illustrious Tuscan Personages, a company that he abandoned due to disagreements with his clients. Other artists completed the work. Shortly afterward he was called upon to complete the frescoes in the Sala degli Argenti of the Palazzo Pitti, which Giovanni da San Giovanni had left unfinished upon his death. His are two scenes: Lorenzo the Magnificent Protector of the Arts and Lorenzo the Magnificent Messenger of Peace. Over time Montelatici developed a very personal and free style, especially in his small works of a secular nature, achieving quasi-impressionist effects based on very loose brushstrokes (Angelica and Ruggiero, Kress Collection). His way of painting is very close to the morbidity of contemporaries like Francesco Furini. The late Titian was also one of his references, due to his dissolution of the contours of the figures. The final part of his life (1659-1661) was spent in Innsbruck, in the service of Archduke Ferdinand Charles of Tyrol, son of Claudia de' Medici and married to another Florentine princess, Anne de' Medici. Giuseppe Pacciarotti, Baroque Painting in Italy, Ed. Istmo (2000), ISBN 84-7090-376-4. Provenance: important private collection, Madrid.