4 - Giovanni Battista RECCO

Giovanni Battista RECCO (Naples, 1615–1660) Still Life with Loaves of Bread, Breadsticks, a Pitcher, Eggs, and a Poultry Trophy Canvas 77 x 98 cm Monogrammed and dated toward the right, on the pitcher: GBR 1659 Damage Restorations This significant pantry still life is centered around a white tablecloth with heavy folds, upon which rests, in the foreground, a hunting trophy consisting of small game birds. To the left are loaves of bread and a bluish paper cone from which a bundle of breadsticks spills out. The center of the canvas is occupied by an imposing glazed red terracotta pot, filled with eggs, which proudly displays the painted monogram “G.B.R.” On the right, a yellow ceramic jar and a small bottle complete this rustic yet well-stocked table scene. The monogram “G.B.R.” inscribed on the central vase refers to the Neapolitan master Giovan Battista Recco, the leading figure of one of the peninsula’s most famous dynasties of still-life painters. Among the Reccos, the practice of incorporating signatures or initials onto tableware is well-documented: a similar jug, serving as an “egg nest,” can be found in the Still Life with a Goat’s Head, now in the Capodimonte Museum (see N. Spinosa, *Dipinti del XVIII secolo*, Museo e gallerie nazionali di Capodimonte, Naples 2010, p. 164, no. 162, reproduced).