(Rome 1695–1741)
Landscape in Latium with five figures in the foreground,
oil on canvas, 55 x 71.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
with Colnaghi, London;
Private European collection

Literature:
Andrea Busiri Vici, Andrea Locatelli e il paesaggio romano del settecento, Rome 1976, no. 36, ill. 107, p. 89

The present painting is a characteristic work by the Roman landscape painter. The region portrayed is reminiscent of the area around Terracina in Latium. The composition of the figures and goats in the foreground clearly reflect the influence of Salvator Rosa.

Andrea Locatelli is considered one of the most important exponents of Roman landscape painting in the first half of the 18th century. He was the son of the lesser-known painter Giovanni Francesco Locatelli, and a pupil of Monsù Alto, known for his coastal landscapes. Throughout the course of his artistic career Locatelli experimented with a wide variety of genres, his style developed from a form of Realism, drawn from 17th century models, towards an increasingly charming idealisation. At first, like his teacher Alto, he concentrated on river and coastal landscapes, influenced both by the style of Salvator Rosa as well as landscapes with ancient ruins. Locatelli later oriented himself more towards the works of Gaspar Dughet and Jan Frans van Bloemen, painting many idyllic views of the Roman Campagna and mythological scenes set in Arcadian landscapes. The present painting also originates from this period.