|
Paintings of Old Masters from Mali Lošinj
Zagreb, March 4, 1999
After a half-century of wandering, Dr. Piperata's collection of paintings
finally found its home. The most valuable part of the collection are the
paintings of seventeenth and eighteenth century Italian, French and Dutch
schools
In addition to the usual sights and beauty of
the islands of Cres and Lošinj, known for the perfect harmony of nature and
historic human activity, the recent opening of the permanent exhibition of
Art Collections in Mali Lošinj, which include the Piperata and Andre Vid
Mihičić Collections, has created a new, very interesting destination for the
chance visitor with more refined tastes.
The Piperata Collection of paintings by old
masters consists of 27 paintings and three wooden chests. Of course, the
most valuable part of the collection are the paintings by the seventeenth
and eighteenth century Italian, French and Dutch schools. Although the
collection has been known to experts for a longer period, serious expert and
scholarly evaluation and the resolution of a number of related issues and
precise dating have yet to be done.
Giuseppe Piperata, a physician and collector
born in Mali Lošinj in 1883, became "infected" with collector's fever during
his studies in Naples, when he acquired the first paintings for his future
collection. The love for beauty accompanied him all of his life. Although he
was never wealthy, he managed to save considerable amounts of money,
forsaking many things to create this respectable collection which has
finally, after over a half-century of wandering, found its home. The
collection was presented to the public for the first time in 1967 and again
20 years later. Since then, efforts to present the Piperata Collection as a
permanent exhibition have intensified.
The paintings whose authors were identified,
although cautiously, were those of the highest stylistic and morphological
quality and best defined; the painting Meeting with Rebecca was
immediately ascribed to Francesco Solimena, the leading Naples painter in
the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century. It can be dated back to
the later years of his work, when the powerful high baroque style began to
subside, which clearly indicates not only that the likely author of the
painting is Francesco Solimena but also the more precise year of its
creation, which is approximately 1710.
The second painting which should be singled out
is the work of Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, known under the name Il Guercino
(1591-1666). He was an artist who began to develop his skills under Lodovico
Caracci's direct influence. Together with Guido Reni and Lodovico Caracci,
he was the most influential painter of the Bolognese baroque from the first
half of the seventeenth century. In addition to all Baroque characteristics
of Guercino's painting, Allegorical Landscape with Female Images
bears strong features of Reni's baroque classicism.
Antonio Carneo (1637-1682) is a painter of the
Venetian early baroque school, presented in the Piperata Collection by the
impressive monumental painting Adoration of the Magi, typical of
Carneo. Portrait of a Woman by Francesco Fontebass (1709-1769), a
Venetian late baroque painter and follower of Ricci and Tiepolo, is a good
example of ceremonial baroque portrait painting.
Two paintings with identical titles,
Adoration of the Shepherds, were rightfully ascribed to the great
Bassano school due to their stylistic characteristics, and it would not be
possible to assign them to any other period or school. The artist was
obviously a more distant follower of this great family of painters, but
certainly from their time. A similar case holds for paintings ascribed to A.
Magnasco's school, i.e. Heavy Seas with Two Figures and St.
Francis Speaks to the Fish, which have many morphological features of
Magnasco but also many inconsistencies.
The paintings whose artists have not yet been
accurately identified, but have instead been dated approximately, for
instance an eighteenth century Italian master, are very interesting not only
for experts but also for the general public. Canal Grande, a small
painting by Filippo Tibertelli, known as Filippo De Pisis (1896-1956) should
also be noted. It unites the Venetian painting tradition with the painting
of the first quarter of our century.
(Miroslav Gašparović, Vjesnik)
Source:
-
http://pubwww.srce.hr/art-collections-losinj/croweek.htm
(no longer online)
|