Lot 1495 D α

The attribution of the present painting, of unusual subject, has been confirmed by Professor Riccardo Lattuada and the following catalogue entry is based on his expertise.

This painting can be ascribed to the work of the still life painter Paolo Porpora, who moved to Rome after training in Naples with Giacomo Recco. The painter´s oeuvre is characterized by a caravaggesque use of the light, to which is added a decorative attitude of baroque inclination.

In his early known works the artist depicts small animals, insects, reptiles and undergrowth in wooded landscapes: For this particular genre, the young artist could follow the examples of two Northern artists active in Rome - Otto Marseus van Schrieck and Matthias Withoos - the study of whom was fundamental for his development. Porpora was already heavily praised within his lifetime, as the account of De Dominici testifies: “Si applicò a dipingere varie sorte di Animali, fece eccellentemente pesci e varie frutta, ed altre cose di mare, dipingendo ancora frutti, agrumi, pollami, volatili ed altre cose commestibili” (B. De Dominici, Vite de' pittori, scultori ed architetti napoletani, Napoli, 1742-45, III, p. 293).

With the years, his compositions became more and more complex and realistic, as evident in details such as the snails and leaves in the present painting. In his mature works, the painter took particular care in refining the rendering of fur and plumage as well as in using light to define shapes and volumes, as evident in the present example, which can be compared with other depictions of large fowl (see: "A rabbit, duck, turtle and other animals", Sotheby's New York, 25th May 2000, lot 23 and “Decorative fowl, lizard and butterfly in a landscape”, previously given to G. A. Cassana, Christie's, London, 21st June 1989, lot 138).