17th century ITALIAN school, workshop of Domenico FETTI - Lot 40

17th century ITALIAN school, workshop of Domenico FETTI Melancholy Canvas 138 x 138 cm Unframed Remake of the composition by Domenico Fetti in the Musée du Louvre (Department of Paintings, INV 281; MR 216), (see E. A. Safarik, Fetti, Milan, 1990, no. 123a), reproduced. (Very good overall condition, restoration to the left-hand side of the painting, old lining (early 20th century), old accident causing slight lifting in the drape of the sleeve, small loss to the dog's head). See the last photo in the catalog for the original work. Expert : René MILLET PROVENANCE Private collection NOTICE Domenico Fetti or Domenico Feti was an early 17th-century Italian Baroque painter belonging to the Venetian School. He was a pupil of Lodovico Cigoli in Rome from 1604 to 1613, then worked at the court of Mantua under the protection of the Cardinal, future Duke Ferdinando Gonzaga. During this stay, he was influenced by Rubens and the 16th-century Venetians in Ferdinando Gonzaga's collections. He continued his career in Venice in 1621, where he worked with Bernardo Strozzi and Johann Liss. He discovered the works of Caravaggio and changed his style: his paintings became more contrasted and intense. He devoted himself to religious themes in large and small formats, as witnessed by the Parables and Mythological Stories series now in Dresden, Venice and Vienna respectively. Our painting, taken from the subject in the Louvre (Department of Paintings, INV 281; MR 216), is in the Caravaggesque style that influenced him in Venice. The depth of the chiaroscuro, the mastery of the line and the size of the format give this composition a singular intensity.