Naples, 18th Century, Shepherd Of The Presepe

Naples, 18th century

Shepherd of the presepe

Lacquered and carved wood, h. cm 24

The shepherd in adoration is made in Naples during the eighteenth century, a period when Francesco Londonio (1723 -1783), a versatile painter who worked for important clients belonging to the city nobility, was active in Milan. In fact, he will make several portraits for the families of Borromeo, Greppi and Mellerio, Also receiving commissions for works of other subject among which stand out the scenes aggressive and bucolic or the portraits of shepherds and peasants that bring us perefettamente to the more frugal and true aspects of daily life of the time. The experience in this specific field of art will allow him to make even more realistic and vivid cribs that he will perform from the sixties of the century, following his trip to Naples (1763-1764), a city from which he drew inspiration for this sacred subject, given the long tradition of craftsmanship in the Neapolitan city specialized in the creation of cribs in paper, terracotta, cardboard and other various materials. From this would derive the two cribs of the Londonio, although many others are attributed to the master’s hand, present today in Milan: one at the Diocesan Museum, from the Villa Gernetto of Count Giacomo Mellerio and painted on paper and cardboard, the other, composed of about thirty figures painted on cardboard with wooden support, near the church of San Marco. In addition to the protagonists, such as the Virgin, the Child or the Magi, it should be noted the attention in making the daily reality of country life through the clothes, objects and accessories of the peasants, of the shepherds and wayfarers who find themselves in these two representations.