Lot Essay
We are very grateful to Franco Canepa for confirming the attribution on the basis of transparencies; he regards the painting as 'una delle opere di maggior qualità di Gherardo' and dates it to 1, noting that it contains several motifs that recur in Poli's oeuvre. Those motifs include elements taken from real life, for example the statue of Jupiter by Felice Parma (Florence, Poggio Imperiale) - depicted as an antique sculpture with a broken arm - and the church of Santa Maria Novella, Florence, despite Poli's use of artistic license, from the decoration of the façade.
The painting is closely comparable to that published by Franco Canepa in 2002 (Gherardo e Giuseppe Poli. La pittura di capriccio nella Toscana di primo Settecento, Pisa, 2002, p. 78, no. 41, illustrated). Both share the same confidence in handling and a maturity of composition that avoids the tendency towards overcrowding evident in some of his earlier work - indeed, as noted by Canepa, the present work could be understood as a 'pièce de reception' of the artist's work.
Franco Canepa will include the painting in the second edition of his book, due to be published next year.
The painting is closely comparable to that published by Franco Canepa in 2002 (Gherardo e Giuseppe Poli. La pittura di capriccio nella Toscana di primo Settecento, Pisa, 2002, p. 78, no. 41, illustrated). Both share the same confidence in handling and a maturity of composition that avoids the tendency towards overcrowding evident in some of his earlier work - indeed, as noted by Canepa, the present work could be understood as a 'pièce de reception' of the artist's work.
Franco Canepa will include the painting in the second edition of his book, due to be published next year.