(Venice 1709–1787)
The amorous Sultan,
oil on canvas, 56 x 90 cm, framed

Provenance:
sale, Artcurial, Paris, 13 February 2018, lot 313 (as French School, 18th century);
where acquired by the present owner

We are grateful to Bernard Aikema for suggesting the attribution to Francesco Zugno following inspection of the original work and for his help in cataloguing the present lot.

This painting shows a fanciful oriental scene of a turbaned man kneeling in front of a young lady sitting under a tree. It is an example of the taste for Orientalism that pervaded Western-European visual culture during the eighteenth century. The bright colours and the typology of the figures are typical of the works of Francesco Zugno, who was trained by the local caposcuola, Giambattista Tiepolo.

Orientalism in eighteenth-century Venice is represented by the Turcherie, a series of paintings by the Guardi brothers. Their pictures have more of a ‘folkloristic’ nature when compared to the present canvas, which presents a charming scene much in the taste of the influential chinoiseries – which is another form of orientalism – by the French artist Antoine Watteau. As such, the present painting is an example of Orientalising gusto in the rococo manner. In Zugno’s painted oeuvre, which covers a wide range of subjects, including scenes of gallanteria, it appears to be, indeed, unique.