Pair Of Still Lifes With Fruit - Giovanni Paolo Castelli Known As Spadino

Giovanni Paolo Castelli known as Spadino. (Rome 1659-1730)
Pair of Still Lifes with Peaches and Grapes painted in oil on canvas.
Both frames that house the canvases bear the initials G.C.
The style, quality, layout and illustrative aspects, as well as the initials printed on the frame, allow us to be able to express the attribution to Giovanni Paolo Castelli known as Spadino. The baroque decorative exuberance, the precise description of the fruit and the outdoor setting are unmistakable clues that derive from the Flemish Abraham Brueghel, marking the evolution of the Capitoline still life of the second half of the seventeenth century. The contribution of the German Christian Berentz (documented in Italy since 1689) should not be overlooked in his formation, particularly for his attention to the rendering of light, which outlines the shapes with brilliance and embellishes the chromatic tones. Peculiar to the author's repertoire is the ability to describe the spherical surfaces of the fruits with extraordinary skill, flaunting all their softness, following the lesson learned from Abraham Brueghel, but with a broader brushstroke that reflects an instinctive and sensual adherence to natural beauty.
Cm. 38x43 without frame
Cm. 57x61.5 with frame