Old Master & 19th Century Paintings
Old Master & 19th Century Paintings
Property from a Private Collection
Pietro Bellotti
A man eating chickpeas
Lot Closed
September 20, 11:27 AM GMT
Estimate
5,000 - 7,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Property from a Private Collection
Pietro Bellotti
Volciano 1625–1700 Gargnano
A man eating chickpeas
oil on canvas
unframed: 72 x 59.7 cm.; 28⅜ x 22⅞ in.
framed: 91 x 76.5 cm.; 35⅞ x 30⅛ in.
The Estate of Edwin C. Whitehead;
Anonymous sale, New York, Doyle, 25 January 2017, lot 22 (as school of Bernhard Keil);
Where acquired by the present owner.
Pietro Bellotti trained in Venice under Girolamo Forabosco (1605–1679) developing a highly distinctive style, often finding his models amongst the lower classes of society. Known for his masterful use of light and shadow, his talent lay in capturing the textures and subtleties of aging skin and the play of light on the human face, as is evidenced in this work. It has been suggested that the sitter in this work is wearing the Saint Benedict Medal, a Christian sacramental medal containing symbols and text related to the life of Saint Benedict of Nursia popular in the 17th century and thought to protect from evil.