12 - Roberto Poloni (1938)

Roberto Poloni (1938) The Cock’s Crow Oil on canvas 89.5 x 80.2 cm Signature: “Poloni” in color on the front; “Roberto Poloni” on the back in marker Other inscriptions: on the reverse, title, authentication, and an illegible inscription on the canvas; number “36” on the stretcher Provenance: Veneto Banca SpA in LCA Condition. Support: 95% Condition. Surface: 95% For direct WhatsApp assistance before and during the live auction: +39 346 12 999 80 // Direct assistance via WhatsApp before and during the auction: +39 346 12 999 80 Ippolito Caffi (Belluno 1809 – Lissa 1866) can rightly be considered the last heir to the great tradition of Venetian landscape painting, a genre revitalized by the artist through his study of nature. However, his time in Rome was decisive in shaping his artistic language. After moving there in January 1832, he came into contact with the international artistic community residing in the Eternal City, developing an appreciation for Camille Corot and William Turner. The variations in light, from the early hours of dawn until nightfall, are the defining feature of his most famous cityscapes, which he reproduced in different versions. His stay in Rome was interrupted by periods spent in Venice, Milan, and Trieste, and between 1843 and 1844 by a journey to the East that took him to Naples, Athens, Turkey, Palestine, and Egypt. A restless spirit and fervent patriot, in 1848 he took part in the battles for Venice’s independence and, forced into exile, traveled between northern Italy, London, Spain, and Paris, before returning to Rome in 1855. In 1860, he joined Garibaldi’s army and died on July 20, 1866, during the naval battle of Lissa when the ship *Re d’Italia*—on which he had embarked to document the military exploits against the Austrians—was sunk. St. Peter’s Square is one of the subjects to which Caffi returned repeatedly, both in the 1840s and during his second stay in Rome between 1855 and 1857, to meet the requests of his large circle of patrons with variations in lighting, weather conditions, and the presence or absence of human figures. As noted by Federica Pirani, this is one of the themes in which the choice of composition allows us to connect the artist with the work of the early photographers active in Rome during those same years (Federica Pirani, entry “Papal Blessing at St. Peter’s,” in Annalisa Scarpa, ed., “Caffi. Luci del Mediterraneo,” exhibition catalog, Milan, 2005, p. 271, no. 47). In particular, the work in question is part of a specific subgroup characterized by the presence of a jubilant crowd awaiting the papal blessing, one of the most significant events on the Roman calendar for both local worshippers and passing tourists. Of particular note are the paintings published in the exhibition catalog “Caffi. Luci del Mediterraneo” (p. 146, no. 47, Rome, Museo di Roma, inv. MR 5680; p. 148, no. 49, private collection) and in the monograph edited by Ferdinando Peretti (Ferdinando Peretti, “Ippolito Caffi 1809–1866,” Rome, 2016, p. 84, nos. 45–46, both from a private collection; p. 85, nos. 47–48, both from a private collection; p. 86, no. 49, Venice, Ca’ Pesaro; p. 87, nos. 51–52, both from a private collection; p. 88, nos. 53–54, both from a private collection). The dates 1843 for the first painting in the series and 1856 for the last document how Caffi consistently returned to the same subject over time. A stylistic analysis of the work, characterized by a swift and concise brushstroke, allows us to date the view to his second stay in Rome. The square is depicted from a slightly elevated vantage point, likely from one of the palaces that once stood along the Spina di Borgo—demolished between the 1930s and 1950s to create Via della Conciliazione—bathed in the zenithal light of midday, at the very moment when the pope was appearing from the Loggia delle Benedizioni, sheltered by a white canopy, as evidenced by the short shadows and the almost blinding glare of the buildings. The crowd, though rendered in a concise manner, is carefully studied in its attire, capturing the entire spectrum of Roman society—from commoners to nobles, from papal Zouaves to foreigners. It is, in fact, well known that Caffi was in the habit of always carrying a sketchbook with him in which he sketched ordinary people. The painting in question, which appeared on the market in 2007 in Frankfurt am Main, must have belonged to a German collection at least since the early 20th century, as attested by the catalog of the sale “Gemälde neuer und alter Meister, Plastik, Watercolors, Drawings, Furniture, and Antique Carpets from Upper Hesse and Various Other Places,” held at the Kunsthaus Wilhelm Ettle in February 1943. Teresa Sacchi Lodispoto