Domenico Levo (active In The Second Half Of The 17th Century), Still Life With Flowers And Frui

Domenico Levo (active in the second half of the 17th century)

Still life with flowers and fruit

Oil on canvas, cm 66x91

With frame, cm 77x102

The still life examined is to be referred with certainty to the hand of a painter active in the workshop of Felice Fortunato Biggi (1650 - 1700 circa). Nicknamed de' Fiori for his elegant floral bouquets, characterized by a remarkable compositional harmony, the painter of Parma origins Felice Fortunato Biggi is considered one of the best florist active in northern Italy during the second half of the seventeenth century. He soon left his hometown to go to Verona, where his presence is recorded from 1680, after a probable training in Rome in the workshop of Mario Nuzzi de' Fiori, attested by some paintings that show his strong influence. His works are marked by a bright chromatism, in which the red, white and blue of the different botanical species prevail, represented with naturalism and with a loose and foamy pictorial material. As in the master’s works, even in the still lifes of one of his most gifted students, Domenico Levo, there is a free arrangement of floral elements, while respecting the closed form of the traditional bouquet.

It is to Domenico Levo that our painting should be attributed. This still life with flowers and fruits presents a rich and lush composition, which shows clear traces of the pictorial activity of Biggi. In the center of the scene, an imposing amphora, probably in terracotta or bronze, overflowing with a opulent bouquet of flowers. Red and pink roses are distinguished, blue flowers similar to periwinkle or nontiscordardimé, and a variety of other blooms in shades of white and dark red, which create a strong contrast with the dark background made monochrome. The sinuous and voluptuous brush stroke suggests the texture and delicacy of the petals.