Lot 47: Ription Giovanni Domenico Ferretti (Florence 1692

Ription Giovanni Domenico Ferretti (Florence 1692 - 1768 ) A lute player and a dark-skinned page, signed right of centre (in the sheet of music) Giov. Ferretti, oil on canvas, 123.8 x 96.7 cm, framed, (Wo) Giovanni Domenico Ferretti's oeuvre unites two pictorial genres that could not have been any less different. On the one hand, starting out from his very first commission, the decoration of the cathedral at Imola, which he won because of a recommendation by the bishop of Bologna, he executed numerous large frescoes of religious and mythological subjects. On the other hand, his oeuvre, apart from several portraits, also includes canvas paintings of a profane and humorous nature that sometimes bordered caricature. In both fields, Ferretti proved to be a master of supraregional significance among the Florentine artists active during the reign of Francis Stephen of Lorraine, the future emperor Francis I (Maser). The artist frequently placed his signature into an open book or sheet of music. The present pa nting was probably executed in the context of the famous Harlequin series. His religious frescoes had won him a call to the Accademia del Disegno, which he headed as consule as from 1732; he also was in charge of the grand ducal tapestry factory. Being a highly esteemed member of the town's elite of artists, Ferretti was soon granted access to the exclusive circle of the Accademia del Vangelista, originally a religious brotherhood that in the 18th century had turned into a theatre club. Improvised performances in the manner of the comedia dell'arte were part of the brotherhood's programme, especially during the carnival season. Literature: Comp. Francesca Baldessari, Giovanni Domenico Ferreti, Milan 2002; Edward E. Maser (ed.), The Disguises of Harlequin by Giovanni Domenio Ferreti of Florence, exhibition catalogue, The University of Kansas Museum of Art, November-December 1956, Lawrence 1956.