Angelo Zani, Also Known As “monogrammista A.v.” (18th Century), Vase Of Flowers With A Dog

Angelo Zani, also known as “Monogrammista A.V.”

(active in the first half of the 18th century, Pisa)

Vase of Flowers with a Dog

Oil on canvas, 49 x 62.5 cm

Bibliography: G. Bocchi-U. Bocchi, Monogrammista A.V. (?), in *Naturaliter: A New Contribution to Still Life in Northern Italy and Tuscany from the 17th to the 18th Century*, edited by J. Bocchi and W. Bocchi, Calenzano (Florence) 1998, pp. 359–365.

The elegant canvas presented here, depicting a charming still life with a vase of flowers and a dog, can be attributed to the skilled hand of Angelo Zani, a refined still-life painter active in the early 18th century. An artist still shrouded in mystery today, though historical sources are gradually revealing his greatness, biographical information is scarce and fragmentary, making his precise identification still a challenge for art historians. What we know with certainty derives mainly from the signature “Angelo Zani di Pisa Fecit” affixed to two oval still lifes that appeared on the London antiques market in 2009 (Sotheby’s, October 29, 2009). Originally from Pisa but likely active in Emilia as well, scholars such as Gianluca and Ulisse Bocchi have hypothesized that Zani might be the same artist known by the pseudonym Monogrammista A.V. This identification would, in fact, be supported by the remarkable stylistic similarities found between the works signed by Zani and those attributed to the anonymous artist identified by this monogram, both characterized by meticulous attention to detail, a balanced composition, and a skillful use of light to enhance the three-dimensionality of the depicted objects—often flowers, fruit, and animals. This hypothesis is further strengthened by the lack of new biographical information on Zani, which does not rule out the possibility that he may have worked under a pseudonym or a monogram. Numerous paintings are known to have appeared in Emilia and Lombardy during the first half of the 18th century, as evidenced by the style and composition of the works, which are based on certain consistent elements, such as the vase of flowers depicted outdoors, which sometimes appears on its own but is more frequently paired with fruit, birds, or domestic animals—as is the case with this painting of a small dog wearing a red bow around its neck, rendered with exceptional portraiture grace. The vase of flowers on the left, though not at the center of the composition, captures the viewer’s eye, faithfully reproducing the various types of flowers—from the mottled petals of the tulips to the pale peach color of the camellias, as well as the green buds and the stems that bend softly at the base. The floral compositions, which display the same characteristic traits of the artist’s style—such as the impasto-like texture of the colors used to fill the flower petals and the purely decorative style— can be seen in *Vase with Flowers Outdoors* (Private Collection), as well as in *Still Life with Vase of Flowers and Birds Against a Landscape Background* (Finarte, Rome). The variety of flowers also focuses on the same types; tulips, gerberas, and roses are particularly notable. His body of work reflects the popularity of a pictorial genre based on pleasant decorativeness, which was often seen in the villas of the nobility of the time.