Lot 1553 D α

In an expertise made for the present owner of this work, Prof. Cottino ascribes the painting to Pietro Olivero's later phase. This artist specialised in genre scenes after Flemish models, which were highly popular at the time. He belonged to the Bamboccianti group, and his paintings frequently depicted daily life in his home town of Turin, making them a valuable historical document.
Here, Olivero provides us with a highly detailed insight into village life in his times: The card players, the barber with his waiting customers, the young woman sewing and the butcher. The still lifes scattered throughout the scene add life and interest. The artist often derived such motifs from prepared sketches (for example those in the Museo Civico in Turin).
Olivero was born with a bodily disfigurement into a very poor family. His artistic talent was discovered whilst he was very young, and encouraged by King Vittorio Amadeo II. He enjoyed the patronage of illustrious promoters and became an inspiration for other painters, such as Giovanni Michele Graneri.