Lot 2096 Dα

In the past, the works of Antonio Marini used often to be confused with those of Marco Ricci or Alessandro Magnasco, and the present painting is an example that has long been attributed to Marco Ricci. Lino Moretti was able to assign it to Marini's œuvre in 1984, which was also confirmed by Maria Silvia Proni in her catalogue raisonné of works by the artist. Antonio Marini probably spent his youth in Padua. From 1693 he can be traced back to Bologna, before he briefly resettled in Padua around 1700 and then moved back to his native Venice, where he died in 1725. Marini's style is characterized by strong, loose, and sometimes nervous brushwork. Thematically, he concentrated almost exclusively on landscapes, navy and battle scenes. The artist played an important role in the dissemination of the pictorial ideas of Salvator Rosa in the Veneto of the late 17th and early 18th century. For example, the motif of the group of soldiers in the foreground of our painting can be traced back to this Neapolitan master.