Lot 80: GHERARDO POLI

GHERARDO POLI FLORENCE 1674 - PISA AFTER 1739 A CAPRICCIO OF A TOWN WITH ELEGANT FIGURES ARRIVING ON HORSEBACK AND IN CARRIAGES, A COUPLE DANCING IN THE CENTRE OF THE SQUARE; A CAPRICCIO OF A TOWN WITH FIGURES ON HORSEBACK RESTING FOR REFRESCHMENTS, A MAN BEING DRAWN IN A CART IN THE FOREGROUND Quantity: 2 a pair, both oil on canvas each: 57 by 82.4 cm.; 22 1/2 by 32 1/2 in.

Both this and the following lot are fine unpublished examples of the genre of painting in which Gherardo and his son Giuseppe specialised. Their fantastical cityscapes or capricci are populated with hundreds of bustling figures, their compositions heavily inspired by the engravings of Jacques Callot and Stefano della Bella. Although Gherardo was born in Florence, both artists were active for most of their lives in Pisa and a number of their capricci are inspired by real views of the squares in either Pisa or Florence, thus appealing to both local and foreign patrons alike. The theatrical nature of their scenes is heightened by their stage-like setting: fantastical buildings, loosely inspired by real architecture, act as a backdrop to the weaving lines of protagonists, whose colourful costumes not only increase their decorative quality but also characterise the work of both artists.