Ritratto di gentiluomo, Giovanni Maria delle Piane

"unpublished portrait of notable quality by giovanni maria delle piane, known as mulinaretto because "mulinaro was his avolo" as recalled by carlo giuseppe ratti in the detailed biography dedicated to the artist (c. G. Ratti, delle vite de' pittori, scultori, ed architetti genovesi, genoa 1769, p. 146), one of the main architects of the french renewal of this pictorial genre. It was the genoese clients, in the first instance, who favored the opening to the most fashionable influences coming from paris, directing the painters, especially through the commission of copies, towards a very specific portrait typology which borrowed the compositional schemes with which hyacinthe rigaud portrayed the genoese who passed through his parisian atelier. After his apprenticeship with giovanni battista merano and a period of improvement in rome of around eight years in the workshop of giovanni battista gaulli, mulinaretto managed to gain a leading role specialist in the field of portraiture, vacant in genoa, due to the retirement from the artistic scene of the old and ill giovanni bernardo carbone. The assimilation of the more decorative and elegant side of baciccio's style and the direct knowledge of the most up-to-date trends, through the memories of the works of jacob ferdinand voet, led the painter to an easy understanding of french portraiture, increasingly present in genoa starting from the last decade of the century. The canvas offered can be compared to the beautiful portrait of giacomo doria from 1692 from a private collection (see sanguineti 2011 cit, p. 66) which, similarly, adapts the compositional style to the french canons without giving up the material brushstrokes rich in realistic reflections aimed at suggesting the textile consistencies and, in our case, the brightness of the armor - to also be linked to the vandyckian tradition strongly felt in genoa - and to the attention, borrowed from gaulli, in restoring the complexions and physiognomies. We warmly thank daniele sanguineti for confirming the attribution and for the suggestions provided during the drafting of the sheet. " [1]. Date: 17th century. Dimensions: height: 100 cm (39.3 in); width: 80 cm (31.4 in). Medium: oil on canvas. Collection: Unidentified location. Scuola piemontese - Ritratto di gentiluomo, pair