Spanish school (XIX) - Ritratto antropomorfo
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€ 1,000
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Selected by Giulia Santoro
Specialised in 17th century Old Master paintings and drawings with auction house experience.
Estimate € 1,800 - € 2,200
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 Bidder 7342 | €1,000 |
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Oil on canvas painting titled Ritratto antropomorfo, from the 19th‑century Spanish school (circa 1850), measuring 60 × 50 cm on canvas within a 70 × 58.5 cm frame, unsigned.
AI-assisted summary
Description from the seller
19th-Century Spanish School
“Anthropomorphic Portrait”
Oil on canvas, period 1800/1850
Artwork presentation
The painting depicts an anthropomorphic portrait of a dog, probably a bulldog or a small molosser, portrayed with a solemn attitude and dressed according to Renaissance or late-15th/16th-century fashion. The animal wears a sumptuous red damask suit, enhanced by a white ruff and a long chain with pendant, elements typical of official noble portraiture.
The pose, strongly theatrical, evokes status portrait models: one paw rests on the chest in a gesture of dignity and self-awareness, while the other holds a fan or a ceremonial object. The animal’s face, rendered with extraordinary naturalistic attention, preserves a melancholic and interrogative expression that enhances the effect of estrangement.
The background is divided between an open landscape and a dark curtain, a classical solution that recalls the official painting of the 16th and 17th centuries and helps to situate the subject in a realm of power and representation. The rendering of fabrics, embroidery, and painting surfaces, however, suggests an nineteenth-century execution, when the rediscovery of ancient painting often intertwined with a taste for cultivated caricature and moral allegory.
The work fits into an iconographic tradition that uses the humanized animal as a satirical mirror of society. The dog, an ambivalent symbol of loyalty, obedience but also attachment to power, becomes here the protagonist of refined visual irony: the nobility of the portrait is at once celebrated and questioned.
Overall, the painting appears as a learned game between the past and parody, capable of merging technical skill, historical quotation, and subtle critique of social codes. A work that dialogues with the European painting tradition and invites the observer to reflect on the blurred boundary – always unstable – between identity, representation, and mask.
Dimensions: 70 x 58.5 cm in an accompanying frame
Canvas: 60 x 50 cm
From private collection
Condition: Good, with normal signs of the passage of time -
* the present frame is included as a complimentary gift
Ideal for collecting and investment
With certificate of authenticity in accordance with the law - Expertise
Professional packing and insured shipping
Seller's Story
Magnolia Arte is a company that deals with the buying and selling of artworks. Each piece is carefully selected for its artistic quality and emotional impact. In fact, Magnolia Arte believes that every work of art is a piece of cultural history, useful for understanding our present. The economic value and investment are considered secondary aspects compared to artistic and historical-cultural value. Magnolia Arte is a reference point for the auction sale of ancient, modern, and contemporary art. Magnolia is a place of art. Art enthusiasts will find professionalism and expertise here.
Translated by Google Translate19th-Century Spanish School
“Anthropomorphic Portrait”
Oil on canvas, period 1800/1850
Artwork presentation
The painting depicts an anthropomorphic portrait of a dog, probably a bulldog or a small molosser, portrayed with a solemn attitude and dressed according to Renaissance or late-15th/16th-century fashion. The animal wears a sumptuous red damask suit, enhanced by a white ruff and a long chain with pendant, elements typical of official noble portraiture.
The pose, strongly theatrical, evokes status portrait models: one paw rests on the chest in a gesture of dignity and self-awareness, while the other holds a fan or a ceremonial object. The animal’s face, rendered with extraordinary naturalistic attention, preserves a melancholic and interrogative expression that enhances the effect of estrangement.
The background is divided between an open landscape and a dark curtain, a classical solution that recalls the official painting of the 16th and 17th centuries and helps to situate the subject in a realm of power and representation. The rendering of fabrics, embroidery, and painting surfaces, however, suggests an nineteenth-century execution, when the rediscovery of ancient painting often intertwined with a taste for cultivated caricature and moral allegory.
The work fits into an iconographic tradition that uses the humanized animal as a satirical mirror of society. The dog, an ambivalent symbol of loyalty, obedience but also attachment to power, becomes here the protagonist of refined visual irony: the nobility of the portrait is at once celebrated and questioned.
Overall, the painting appears as a learned game between the past and parody, capable of merging technical skill, historical quotation, and subtle critique of social codes. A work that dialogues with the European painting tradition and invites the observer to reflect on the blurred boundary – always unstable – between identity, representation, and mask.
Dimensions: 70 x 58.5 cm in an accompanying frame
Canvas: 60 x 50 cm
From private collection
Condition: Good, with normal signs of the passage of time -
* the present frame is included as a complimentary gift
Ideal for collecting and investment
With certificate of authenticity in accordance with the law - Expertise
Professional packing and insured shipping
Seller's Story
Magnolia Arte is a company that deals with the buying and selling of artworks. Each piece is carefully selected for its artistic quality and emotional impact. In fact, Magnolia Arte believes that every work of art is a piece of cultural history, useful for understanding our present. The economic value and investment are considered secondary aspects compared to artistic and historical-cultural value. Magnolia Arte is a reference point for the auction sale of ancient, modern, and contemporary art. Magnolia is a place of art. Art enthusiasts will find professionalism and expertise here.
Translated by Google TranslateDetails
Artist
Spanish school (XIX)
Sold with frame
Yes
Title of artwork
Ritratto antropomorfo
Technique
Oil painting
Signature
Not signed
Country of origin
Spain
Year
1850
Condition
Good condition
Height
70 cm
Width
58.5 cm
Period
19th century
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