"pair Of Battle Scenes," Oil On Canvas, Attributed To Ciccio Graziani (rome/naples)

"Pair of Battle Scenes," oil on canvas, attributed to Ciccio Graziani (Rome/Naples, active in the second half of the 17th century)

A pair of antique horizontal paintings depicting lively battle scenes featuring knights, infantrymen, and military encampments, executed with rapid, vibrant brushstrokes typical of Baroque-style battle painting. The works bear a paper label on the reverse attributing them to Ciccio Graziani, a specialist active between Rome and Naples in the second half of the 17th century, known for small military episodes characterized by strong narrative dynamism, atmospheric effects, and a lively rendering of moving masses. The stretcher also bears an old inscription, likely from the 18th or 19th century, referring to Philips Wouwerman, a Dutch master famous for equestrian and military scenes set in expansive landscapes. This reference appears to be of a collector’s or attributional nature, linked to the quality of the rendering of the horses and the Nordic-style composition.

The first canvas depicts an armed clash near an arched bridge, dominated in the background by a cylindrical fortified structure reminiscent of views of the Roman countryside.

The second composition, however, shows a more complex episode, set near a military camp with tents and banners unfurled. In the center appears a figure tied to a pole, likely a prisoner or a condemned man, while another figure carries a processional cross, an element suggesting a religious or propagandistic component to the scene. Although there are no definitive attributes attributable to the traditional conflict between Christian and Ottoman armies, the presence of the cross, the banners, and the camp could allude to episodes of border warfare or 17th-century European military campaigns, interpreted more in a narrative than a documentary key. The scene thus appears to be conceived as a dramatic representation of war and faith rather than as a precise historical chronicle. Both works demonstrate particular skill in rendering horses in motion, the metallic glints of weapons, and atmospheric vibrations achieved through brown glazes and rapid touches of light. The spacious and airy composition, together with the choice of scenes captured in the heat of battle, reveals a figurative style influenced as much by the Italian tradition of battle paintings as by 17th-century Northern European painting.

The canvases have been re-stretched and are in good overall condition; the paint layer appears stable, with normal signs of aging. Antique carved and gilded wooden frames with a continuous laurel leaf motif, likely adapted to the dimensions of the works at a later date.

Oil on canvas, 64 × 29 cm

With frame 73 × 38 cm