Pifferaio

Maria Brignole-Sale De Ferrari 1874 Genova - donazione

Bernardo Strozzi, detto il Cappuccino (Campo Ligure o Genova, 1582 - Venezia, 1644)

PR 56

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 73; Larghezza: 61

olio su tela

Anversa et Genova: un sommet dans la peinture baroque - Anversa - 2003<br>Bernardo Strozzi - Genova - 1995

The painting has been documented at Palazzo Rosso since 1684 among the possessions of Gio. Francesco I Brignole-Sale. However, it is possible that the painting was part of the family collection as early as the time of Gio. Francesco Brignole (1582-1637), given the latter's artistic interests, which were consistent with works of this type. Reflectographic analysis has revealed that the pipe was initially shorter than in the final version, which was chosen to give greater depth to the composition. The colour scheme of this work has always been what has most impressed critics (starting with Lanzi at the end of the 18th century): this, together with the typically genre subject matter, can be traced back to the influence that Flemish painting had on Strozzi's work when he was still in Genoa. In particular, Rubens' altarpiece of the “Miracles of St Ignatius”, installed in the Genoese church of Gesù in 1620, had a great influence on Cappuccino (Boccardo 2012). The painting depicts a close-up portrait of a man playing a pipe.