9 - Nicola Cassisa (Naples, 1730) - Still Life with Flowers, oval painting, Sicily, early 18th century

Nicola Cassisa (Naples, 1730) - Still Life with Flowers, oval painting, Sicily, early 18th century Nicola Cassisa (Naples, 1730) - Still Life with Flowers, oval painting, Sicily, early 18th century, 116 x 98 cm (framed: 129 x 110 cm), oil on canvas Nicola Cassisa, active in Naples between the late 17th century and 1731 The large canvas depicts a lavish floral arrangement in a stone vase adorned with relief carvings, enlivened in the foreground by a pheasant and a dragonfly, while a landscape remains in the background. The composition, built on the alternation of shaded areas and the vibrant colors of the flowers, belongs to the tradition of “Neapolitan still life” from the late 17th century to the early decades of the 18th century. The work features various elements that link it to the oeuvre of Cassisa, a painter trained in the workshop of Andrea Belvedere who specialized in sumptuous floral compositions. Notable is the comparison with other works by the artist, particularly a still life featuring a vase of flowers with a bird set outdoors and housed at the Civic Museum of Pesaro (128 × 99 cm). The catalog entry attributes it to the painter’s late period, characterized by darker tones. Further comparisons can be drawn from works in Florentine collections, where vases of flowers with birds are a recurring motif. For the composition of the still life with a landscape setting, two canvases presented by Wannenes at the auction of antique paintings on November 27, 2024 (lots 178 and 179), cataloged as works by Cassisa, are useful. Furthermore, the presence in the painting of the parrot and the dragonfly, associated with the large floral arrangement, is not out of character for the artist’s repertoire. De Dominici describes his style as ornate and Rocaille, featuring vases of flowers rendered with a free and loose brushstroke that partly disregards botanical accuracy, favoring aesthetic aspects rich in color and imbued with a luminosity designed to enhance the tonal volumes. In fact, the large white-and-pink flowers, the red ones, and some small flowers are rendered with short brushstrokes and light highlights rather than through a meticulous botanical depiction. The painting is still on its original canvas; on the reverse, some minor restoration patches are visible.