A Philosopher

Details

Pietro Francesco Guala (Casale Monferrato 1698-1757 Milan)
A Philosopher
oil on canvas, feigned oval
37¼ x 27 5/8 in. (94.6 x 70.2 cm.)

Literature

S. and S. Martinotti, Pietro Francesco Guala. Aggiornamento e completamento del primo volume, Alessandria, 1998, pp. 18-9, no. 127, illustrated.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

The present canvas is dated to 1750-1756, and is a work of Guala's maturity, painted around the time of his 23 canvases for the Chiesa di Santo Stefano in Casale Monferrato, the penultimate commission before moving to Milan, where he entered the order of San Francesco da Paola and died shortly after.
This painting is particularly notable for the rapid and confident brushstrokes, the vivid colours permeated with light which, as Martinotti notes, makes this version one of the most significant amongst the various series of Saints and Prophets by Guala.

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