Antique Painting Rabbits and Birds with Game Oil on Canvas '600

Oil on canvas. Various animals are placed against a completely dark background: some game, namely four different birds hanging by their legs or resting on a (nearly invisible) surface, and, on the same surface, three crouching rabbits and two strolling birds. Live and dead animals are harmoniously intermingled, and only careful observation allows us to discern their vitality or the rigidity of death: it is the lively gaze of the rabbits' and birds'eyes and the movement of the latter that identifies their state of life. The artist's technical skill stands out in the work, evident above all in the virtuosity of the brush in depicting the animals' anatomical features, with plumage, skin, and fur clearly differentiated in detail. Certainly of the Genoese school, the work is attributable to Sinibaldo Scorza (1589–1631), a painter active in the city of Genoa, who specialized in the art of drawing, engraving, and naturalistic miniatures, with a particular focus on animals. Scorza studied animals from life, making precise and detailed sketches and drawings, with an incredible ability to capture salient aspects from both a pictorial and scientific perspective, typical of the new interests of the time. Alongside his drawings, he also made detailed notes on his paper, such as the position of their legs, the type and color of their fur, to name a few. Sinibaldo Scorza painted not only animals, but also a variety of subjects, landscapes, mythological or genre scenes, and views and glimpses of the cities he visited. His naturalistic inclination was particularly strengthened by his contact with the great Flemish painters he met in Turin and then met again in Rome: throughout his works, one finds that particular attention to the naturalistic aspect captured in precise detail, with nature, trees, and various animals animating a landscape that can be Arcadian yet always marked by a strong taxonomic flavour. For Scorza (a keen reader with a vast literary culture), mythological tales, biblical, and literary subjects served as a pretext for studying landscapes filled with animals, each characterized in detail. The painting presented here has previously undergone restoration and relining. It is presented in an antique frame. Information on FINE ART