Giuseppe Lorenzo GATTERI (Italian, 1829 - 1884)

Bragadin refuses to surrender Famagusta to the Turks oil on canvas signed lower left: Gatteri an old label on the reverse in Italian reads: “Marcantonio Bragadin / ricusa di capitolare a Famagosta / Cipro 1570 / Dipinto ad Olio di Ge. Gatteri.” 40 x 55 cm 62 x 78 cm (with frame) Provenance private collection, Greece NOTE In this rare work, the renowned historical themes painter G.L. Gatteri depicts Marcantonio Bragadin (1523-1571), the heroic defender of Famagusta during its siege by the Turks (1570-71), refusing to surrender the city despite the pleas of some inhabitants to negotiate terms to save their lives. When finally, after eleven months of heroic resistance, Bragadin was forced to sign the surrender, the Turks, disregarding the terms of surrender, massacred the Christian inhabitants of the city, and subjected Bragadin to inhumane tortures that led to his death on August 17, 1571. Bragadin's sacrifice made him a symbol of resistance against Turkish barbarity, and his heroism inspired Christian fighters during the Battle of Lepanto, which decisively halted the Ottoman advance into the West. The female figure on the right of the composition could be a personification of Cyprus, which, unlike the inhabitants on the left, implores not to be delivered to the besiegers of the island's last bastion. Giuseppe Lorenzo Gatteri was born in Trieste and at the age of 11 was enrolled as an exceptional talent in the Academy of Venice, where under the guidance of Professor Ludovico Lipparini, a strongly philhellenic atmosphere prevailed. After an impressive career in the intellectual and artistic circles of Venice, Milan, and Turin, he returned at the age of 22 to his homeland, where he worked until the end of his life, receiving many official commissions. His themes were mainly drawn from Roman and recent history. During his studies in Venice, he worked on a series of 52 drawings depicting scenes from the Greek Revolution inspired by the writings of the French philhellene François Pouqueville (remained unpublished). Other well-known works of his include the Holocaust of Arkadi (Το ολοκαύτωμα του Αρκαδίου), now in the National Gallery in Athens, as well as compositions based on which the 150 engravings adorning Francesco Zanotto's Storia Veneta (1867) were made. Three of these are inspired by the siege of Famagusta, one of which depicts the martyrdom of Marcantonio Bragadin.