(Alessandria 1785–1837 Milan)
The Interior of the Church of Santa Maria in Celso in Milan,
signed and dated: G. Migliara 1820,
oil on canvas, 71 x 65 cm, framed

Provenance:
European private collection

Following a period in Alexandria, Giovanni Migliara moved to Milan, where he specialized in painting vedute and stage-sets for the Teatro Carcano and La Scala, under the guidance of the scene painter Gasparo Galiari. Owing to illness, after 1810 he turned to small-scale works in watercolour or oil. At this date Milanese painting was dominated by a neoclassical trend, however, Migliara remained distant from this dominant movement and instead drew on medieval and historical subjects with Romantic undertones or, as in the present work, produced topographically precise pictures in which he could display his skill practiced as a scene painter. The present painting is inspired by the Dutch and Flemish 17th Century painters of church interiors, but reinterpreted with a focus and sensitivity towards the effects of light. Migliara´s precise, jewel-like technique is particularly apparent in the present work.

We are grateful to Gernot Mayer for suggesting the following information.

Possible Provenance:
Inventory of Maria Beatrice d'Este, Archduchess of Austria 1829/30;
Collection of her son Archduke Maximilian Joseph von Österreich-Este;
Collection of Archduke Franz Ferdinand von Österreich-Este, Schloss Chlumetz, Southern Bohemia;
Private European Collection

The painting possibly depicts Maria Beatrice d'Este (1750–1829) and her son Archduke Maximilian (1782–1863) during their visit to Milan in January/February 1820.