(Naples 1689–1750)
Two hounds by a game bag and dead boar
oil on canvas, 149.5 x 179.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private European collection

We are grateful to Riccardo Lattuada for confirming the attribution of the present painting after examination in the original.

The present painting may be compared to other works by Baldassare De Caro including the Landscape with hounds and game, signed, formerly in Naples, Blindarte, 13-XII-2009, lot 70, and the painting of a similar subject in Matera, Galleria Nazionale in Palazzo Lanfranchi, D’Errico collection (see R. Lattuada, Dipinti della collezione D’Errico di Palazzo San Gervasio a Matera, Naples, 1999, p. 46-47). In the first of these two paintings, the figure of the resting hound returns with a few variations, for which De Caro drew from examples by Jan Fyt and David de Coninck.

Baldassarre De Caro began his career in the studio of Andrea Belvedere; and the collection of Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano (the former collection of the Banco di Napoli) has four panels of flowers signed with his monogram and executed in the manner of his master. It is known that he worked in contact with other specialists in still-life painting such as Tommaso Realfonzo and Gaspare Lopez, but his success originated from the production of still-lifes of game, particularly appreciated by the Bourbon Court of Naples – where the royal hunts were a central element of scenes in which the sovereign could have himself depicted – and by dignitaries like the duca di Maddaloni: ‘Belshazzar Caro also has the honour to serve H[is] M[ajesty] with his beautiful paintings of the hunting of birds, and beasts, as also of other animals, in which paintings Belshazzar has shown himself highly distinguished; as may be seen with his beautiful works in the houses of many gentlemen, and especially in that of the duca di Mataloni, where he has painted many hunting scenes; but beautiful are the ones he exhibited at the Festival of the eighth Corpus Christi, called by us de’ Quattro Altari, where some very large killed birds of prey were shown, or some dead geese, hanging, and lying on the ground with few lights; having their wings outspread, alongside herbs, and other casual instances, as Abate Andrea his master used to do [...]. In short, he is one of the Virtuous Professors who presently do honour to the Homeland’ (B. De Dominici, Vite de’ Pittori, Scultori e Architetti Napoletani, Naples, 1742, Vol. III, p. 577).

In the development of his formal and compositional manner, De Caro evidently drew much from the Northern tradition of the still-life genre with the hunting theme: in the depiction of the ‘birds of prey, or some dead geese, hanging’, it is easy to see not only the influence of Andrea Belvedere, but also of Jan Baptist and Jan Weenix (for a profile of Baldassarre De Caro, see R. Middione, ad vocem, in: Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, vol. 33, Rome, 1987; and R. Middione, in: La natura morta in Italia, ed. by F. Zeri/F. Porzio, Milan, 1989, II, ad vocem).

In terms of size and executive quality, the present painting appears to belong to the most important period of De Caro’s career, at a time when he often had the opportunity to work with important figure painters such as Paolo de Matteis for his largest pictures.

We are grateful to Riccardo Lattuada for his help in cataloguing the present lot.

Provenance:
Private European collection

We are grateful to Riccardo Lattuada for confirming the attribution of the present painting after examination in the original.

The present painting may be compared to other works by Baldassare De Caro including the Landscape with hounds and game, signed, formerly in Naples, Blindarte, 13-XII-2009, lot 70, and the painting of a similar subject in Matera, Galleria Nazionale in Palazzo Lanfranchi, D’Errico collection (see R. Lattuada, Dipinti della collezione D’Errico di Palazzo San Gervasio a Matera, Naples, 1999, p. 46-47). In the first of these two paintings, the figure of the resting hound returns with a few variations, for which De Caro drew from examples by Jan Fyt and David de Coninck.

Baldassarre De Caro began his career in the studio of Andrea Belvedere; and the collection of Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano (the former collection of the Banco di Napoli) has four panels of flowers signed with his monogram and executed in the manner of his master. It is known that he worked in contact with other specialists in still-life painting such as Tommaso Realfonzo and Gaspare Lopez, but his success originated from the production of still-lifes of game, particularly appreciated by the Bourbon Court of Naples – where the royal hunts were a central element of scenes in which the sovereign could have himself depicted – and by dignitaries like the duca di Maddaloni: ‘Belshazzar Caro also has the honour to serve H[is] M[ajesty] with his beautiful paintings of the hunting of birds, and beasts, as also of other animals, in which paintings Belshazzar has shown himself highly distinguished; as may be seen with his beautiful works in the houses of many gentlemen, and especially in that of the duca di Mataloni, where he has painted many hunting scenes; but beautiful are the ones he exhibited at the Festival of the eighth Corpus Christi, called by us de’ Quattro Altari, where some very large killed birds of prey were shown, or some dead geese, hanging, and lying on the ground with few lights; having their wings outspread, alongside herbs, and other casual instances, as Abate Andrea his master used to do [...]. In short, he is one of the Virtuous Professors, who presently do honour to the Homeland’ (B. De Dominici, Vite de’ Pittori, Scultori e Architetti Napoletani, Naples, 1742, Vol. III, p. 577).

In the development of his formal and compositional manner, De Caro evidently drew much from the Northern tradition of the still-life genre with the hunting theme: in the depiction of the ‘birds of prey, or some dead geese, hanging’, it is easy to see not only the influence of Andrea Belvedere, but also of Jan Baptist and Jan Weenix (for a profile of Baldassarre De Caro, see R. Middione, ad vocem, in: Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, vol. 33, Rome, 1987; and R. Middione, in: La natura morta in Italia, ed. by F. Zeri/F. Porzio, Milan, 1989, II, ad vocem).

In terms of size and executive quality, the present paintint appears to belong to the most important period of De Caro’s career, at a time when he often had the opportunity to work with important figure painters such as Paolo de Matteis for his largest pictures.

We are grateful to Riccardo Lattuada for his help in cataloguing the present lot.