ATRIBUIDOS A MICHELANGELO MAESTRI

(Fles. S. XVIII - Ppios. S. XIX)

ATTRIBUTED TO MICHELANGELO MAESTRI (late 18th century - early 19th century) "Decorative Repertoires of Antiquity"

Lot of 20 gouaches on laid paper. This series of twenty gouaches on paper shows a repertoire of figures and decorative elements taken from Antiquity. Its source of inspiration is a series of Roman paintings and decorative repertoires, inspired by the discoveries of the archaeological excavations of Herculaneum and Pompeii, begun in 1738 by Charles of Bourbon. In 1755, the monarch appointed various academics to be in charge of studying the pieces found and hired different artists to create drawings and engravings of these discoveries, including Giovanni Battista Casanova, Giovanni Elia Morghen and Carlo Nolli. An example is the treatise Le Antichità di Ercolano Esposte, a work composed of eight volumes that contains some of the models used to create the designs for this series, attributed to Michelangelo Maestri (1741-1812). Published between 1757 and 1792, it provided contemporary artists with abundant models from Antiquity, fostering the spread of Neoclassicism as an artistic movement. The series of twenty drawings presented here, from the collection of the Duke of Medina de las Torres, is in a relatively good state of preservation, although one of the copies is quite deteriorated by humidity and others show minor damage and occasional stains. All have the same type of framing and different numbering on the back. The supports are quality laid paper bearing the watermark of Jacob Honig and Sons [Holland 1757-1835]. These works are executed using the gouache technique, and many of them show a light preparatory pen design. The scheme is identical in all examples: the compositions are framed in different painted frames: black, with a gold edge, and red. A large space is reserved in the upper part for the main figure or figures, standing out against a black background. They feature representations of gods, muses, bacchantes, etc. The lower part is reserved for a blue frame followed by another of acanthus on a white background, framing friezes depicting objects or small scenes. Dimensions: 47 x 36.8 cm each. Frame dimensions: 54 x 43 cm each.