29 - 18th-century Neapolitan school in the style of Francesco de Mura

18th-century Neapolitan school in the style of Francesco de Mura Sleeping Child. Oil on oval-shaped copper. With matching metal base. (minor losses) 21 x 16 cm Note: Francesco de Mura (Naples, 1696–1782) is considered one of the leading figures of 18th-century Neapolitan painting. A student of Francesco Solimena, he gradually broke away from his master’s monumental Baroque style to develop a style characterized by brighter colors and figures imbued with gentleness, foreshadowing the Rococo sensibility. As the creator of large-scale decorative works for the royal palaces of Naples and Turin, he also produced small devotional paintings on copper—sometimes oval in shape—intended for more intimate contemplation. This oil on copper depicting a sleeping child is in keeping with the style of 18th-century Neapolitan painting, in which the delicacy of the figures contrasts with the theatricality of large Baroque compositions.