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Lot Essay
The attribution of this fascinating painting is not easy to solve. The powerful brushwork, the strong contrasts of light and dark, as well as the harsh naturalism of the subject, points to Naples, and more specifically to a painter in the orbit of Cavallino, The Master of the Annunciation of the Shepherds, and to Ribera. The subject is also reminiscent of Spanish painters, in particular the early activity of Velázquez.
This painting has been compared with Peasant selling poultry, a work that was attributed to the Valencian painter Esteban March when it was sold at Christie's (London, 11 December 1981, lot 114), but was later re-attributed to the Flemish painter Giacomo Legi by Professor Federico Zeri and Professor Mauro Natale, who noted strong affinities with the signed Kitchen scene of the Musée de Beaux Arts, Bordeaux. Probably born in Liège, as his sobriquet seems to indicate, Giacomo Legi moved to Italy in 1620 and spent most of his career in Genoa and Milan. Professor Natale, to whom we are grateful, still considers Giacomo Legi the likely author of the present picture.
Most recently, an alternative attribution to the Neapolitan artist Aniello Falcone has been suggested, on the basis of comparison with his School teacher in the Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte, Naples. A pupil of Jusepe de Ribera, Falcone is most famous for his battle scenes, but his early works also include genre paintings influenced by the Bamboccianti and by Velázquez's Roman period.
This painting has been compared with Peasant selling poultry, a work that was attributed to the Valencian painter Esteban March when it was sold at Christie's (London, 11 December 1981, lot 114), but was later re-attributed to the Flemish painter Giacomo Legi by Professor Federico Zeri and Professor Mauro Natale, who noted strong affinities with the signed Kitchen scene of the Musée de Beaux Arts, Bordeaux. Probably born in Liège, as his sobriquet seems to indicate, Giacomo Legi moved to Italy in 1620 and spent most of his career in Genoa and Milan. Professor Natale, to whom we are grateful, still considers Giacomo Legi the likely author of the present picture.
Most recently, an alternative attribution to the Neapolitan artist Aniello Falcone has been suggested, on the basis of comparison with his School teacher in the Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte, Naples. A pupil of Jusepe de Ribera, Falcone is most famous for his battle scenes, but his early works also include genre paintings influenced by the Bamboccianti and by Velázquez's Roman period.