Giuseppe Maria Crespi aka Lo Spagnoletto (Bologna 1665 - Bologna 1747) - Pair of Children.

Giuseppe Maria Crespi aka Lo Spagnoletto (Bologna 1665 - Bologna 1747) - Pair of Children. 74 x 50 cm (unframed) - 86 x 62 cm (framed). Oil on canvas, in carved and gilded wooden frames. Publications: A. Morandotti, Five 18th-Century Painters: Ghislandi, Crespi, Magnasco, Bazzani, Ceruti, Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne, Rome, 1943, cat. no. 13-14, pp. 34-35. G. Briganti, Five 18th-Century Painters at Palazzo Massimo, in Emporium. Monthly Journal of Art and Culture, vol. XCII, no. 581, 1943, p. 196. Giuseppe Maria Crespi, known as Lo Spagnoletto, is among the most unique figures in Bolognese painting of the early 18th century. Trained in the academic Emilian environment, he early on oriented himself towards realism of Northern and Caravaggesque derivation, far from the noble canons of the classicist tradition. His painting, characterized by dense and vibrant material, strong light contrasts, and a keen attention to the human figure captured in everyday life, exerted a direct influence on the formation of Pietro Longhi and Giovan Battista Piazzetta. These two paintings belong to Crespi's early period and clearly illustrate his stylistic characteristics: the soft, light-infused pictorial material shapes the figures naturally, without idealization. The brushwork proceeds with that freedom of touch that Giuliano Briganti indicated as a distinctive trait of the artist, in contrast to the contemporary Bolognese academic culture. The two canvases depict a young shepherd boy with a stick and a small dog at his feet, and a young girl with a hen in her arms. The figures, isolated against dark, earthy backgrounds, recall the tradition of genre scenes of Northern and Flemish origin, reinterpreted through the filter of Emilian naturalism. The paintings were exhibited at the exhibition "Five 18th-Century Painters at Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne" in Rome in 1943, curated by Dr. Alessandro Morandotti, and reviewed by Giuliano Briganti in Emporium, who described them as typical examples of Crespi's early manner, pastoral figures shaped in a soft and light-infused pictorial material. Condition report: Relined canvases. Good state of preservation of the painted surface. All shipments within the EU are free and professionally packed. This item is sold with a legally valid certificate of authenticity. Further details on the condition report are available upon request. Viezzi Arte guarantees quality and professionalism at competitive prices; contact us at [email protected] or via WhatsApp at +39 3402841279. Message to non-Italian buyers: This work has not yet obtained the free export certificate from Italy, issued by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage, which certifies that the work does not belong to Italian cultural heritage and can therefore be freely exported. The regulations in force since 2026 provide for reduced times for works with a declared value of less than €50,000, determined at the discretion of the expert commission: an average of 2-3 weeks from the submission of the request. All costs related to this procedure are included in the price. Disclaimer Rendering: The setting images are AI-generated for illustrative purposes and may not respect the actual proportions of the artwork.