Portrait Of A Child Playing With A Bird. Attributed To Antonio Amorosi (1660-1738)

Portrait of a Child playing with a Bird

Artist: Attributed to Antonio Amorosi (1660-1738)

Early 18th century

Oil on canvas applied to a wooden panel
Dimensions: 10.5 cm x 13 cm

This small oval portrait depicts a young boy holding a brightly colored bird, evoking a sense of tenderness and affection. The child's face, framed by blonde curls, features the typical traits of Antonio Amorosi's art, known for his portraits of children with delicate features and lively expressions, balanced between everyday liveliness and an ideal of infantile beauty. The warm color palette and modest but neat clothing suggest a humble yet cared-for status, in line with the bamboccianti tradition, a movement that depicted scenes of everyday life with naturalness and attention to detail.
The portrait shows a clear connection to Amorosi's style, who specialized in scenes depicting children, often portrayed playing or holding small domestic animals. Amorosi's children often have chubby faces and rosy cheeks, a distinctive feature evident in this piece as well. His figures, though set in humble contexts, exude a sense of tenderness and realism, placing Amorosi among the key figures of Roman figurative painting in the early 18th century.

The painting fits well into the artistic lineage of Amorosi, who, aside from religious painting, excelled in the representation of children, a theme that achieved significant success in his career. The scene evokes the tradition of the bamboccianti, a 17th-century movement that Amorosi inherited, combining everyday simplicity with the vividness of portraiture. Despite its small size, the portrait has a strong narrative quality and grace, making it representative of Amorosi's work.

The painting is well-preserved but shows minor surface abrasions. On the reverse side, there is a later inscription reading "Nattier," which appears to be a subsequent addition, possibly for commercial purposes. The panel on which the canvas is mounted shows signs of wear, but overall, the composition remains stable.