Lot Essay
There is a lable on the reverse inscribed, "1090.../Chierici Gaetano/Gioco militari/...bimbi"
According to Paul Nicholls this work is possibly the first version of a painting of which at least four variants are known (cf. exh. cat. Reggio Emilia, 1986, 33-36). In a letter dated July 24, 1984, Giuliano Matteucci points out that it was painted a little after Chierici's first contact with the Macchiaioli group in Florence. Their influence is evident in the calculated distribution of light and the compositional use of a window to give a view onto the outside world. This work presages Chierici's later work which frequently depicted the themes of life in post-unified Italy with paricular attention paid to the depiction of domestic interiors and costumes.
According to Paul Nicholls this work is possibly the first version of a painting of which at least four variants are known (cf. exh. cat. Reggio Emilia, 1986, 33-36). In a letter dated July 24, 1984, Giuliano Matteucci points out that it was painted a little after Chierici's first contact with the Macchiaioli group in Florence. Their influence is evident in the calculated distribution of light and the compositional use of a window to give a view onto the outside world. This work presages Chierici's later work which frequently depicted the themes of life in post-unified Italy with paricular attention paid to the depiction of domestic interiors and costumes.