Federico Cervelli

The canvas is relined and has a horizontal seam running 6 in. from the upper edge which is visible to the naked eye. The paint surface is in good condition with a thick impasto and has survived well for a painting of this size. Inspection under UV reveals scattered retouching, notably in the flesh tones, there is a possible restored diagonal scratch running from the neck of the reclining female figure to her stomach and a possible old repaired puncture in the rib area. There is minor retouching in the face of the figure pouring wine and in the hair of the male figure and the foliage attending to areas of minor abrasion. The retouching is evenly distributed but the overall condition is good. Offered in an elaborate carved gilt wood frame.
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This unpublished canvas has been identified, on the basis of photographs, by Prof. Lino Moretti as the work of the Milanese born artist, Federico Cervelli.  Prof. Moretti dates the work on stylistic grounds to circa 1680.  Cervelli, though born in Milan, worked predominantly in Venice where he ran a successful studio where Sebastiano Ricci first trained.¹  From the time of Cervelli's arrival, he was in direct contact with Pietro Liberi, whose influence is evident in his early work.²  By the late 1670s, however, the artist had relinquished Liberi's pseudo-classical style in favor of the more theatrical manner adopted by his contemporaries.³

In the present painting, Cervelli's compositional dexterity conveys the narrative of the scene through his arrangement of serpentine figures, curving to surround the central motif of the flowing wine pitcher.  The provocative poses, together with the gold of the drinking cups and the penetrating blue of the drapery, imbue the painting with a sense of exoticism.  The deep red of Lot's skin, reflecting the red of the wine, signifies his intoxication and contrasts starkly with the milky white of his daughters' flesh.  The loose, fluid handling of paint and the luminosity of the beautifully enticing nude betray the influence of Luca Giordano's naturalism.

At a time when Venetian painting was welcoming the more open style of Giordano, the influence of the Neapolitan master is visible in Cervelli's work through his lustrous color schemes, his sense of movement and dramatic use of light.⁴  The Milanese artist is credited with having contributed substantially to the progression of Venetian painting towards the more luminous and fluid style of the Settecento.⁵


1.  P. Zampetti, A Dictionary of Venetian Painters. 17^th Century, vol. III, Leigh-on-Sea 1971, p. 28.
2.  R. Pallucchini, La Pittura Veneziana del Seicento, vol. I, Milan 1981, p. 298.
3.  Zampetti, op. cit., p. 28.
4.  G. Mondadori, Dizionario Enciclopdico dei Pittori e degli Incisori Italiani dall'XI al XX secolo, vol III, ed. III, [?] 1990, p. 267.
5.  Zampetti, ibid..