"Ancient Painting Of The Italian School Of The XVIII Century"
Pietro Antonio Rotari and workshop, the penitent Mary Magdalene, oil on canvas, 35 x 45 cm Pietro Antonio Rotari (September 30, 1707 – August 31, 1762) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. Born in Verona, he led a peripatetic career, and died in St. Petersburg, where he had traveled to paint for the Russian court. His portraits, mostly of women, are renowned for being beautiful and lifelike. Rotari's works were generally limited to royal portraits held by such notables as emperors and court ladies. He was initially a pupil of Antonio Balestra, but moved and lived in Venice from 1725 to 1727. He later joined the studio of Francesco Trevisani in Rome (1728–1732). Between 1731 and 1734 he worked with Francesco Solimena in Naples. He then returned to Verona, where he opened a studio. In 1750 he had moved to Vienna. In 1756 he was invited to Russia by the court of Tsarina Elizabeth Petrovna. From there he moved to Dresden and collaborated with the court of Augustus III of Poland. He returned to St. Petersburg to work with Catherine II's court. He was in great demand as a portrait painter and painted royal families in Dresden and St. Petersburg. He also painted the multi-figured altarpieces of the Four Martyrs (1745) for the church of the Ospedale di San Giacomo in Verona. He also painted an altarpiece of St. George tempted to be sacrificed to the idols (1743) for the church of the same name in Reggio Emilia, and an Annunciation (1738) for the high altar for the church of the Annunziata in Guastalla.
THE WORK WILL BE SHIPPED IN A WOODEN CASE AND WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY A CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY