Marco Marcola (1740-1793) - Pair of scenes from the fable of the miller

Marco Marcola (Verona 1740 - Verona 1793) - Pair of scenes from the fable of the miller.

57 x 53 cm (without frame) - 66 x 63 cm (with frame).

Oil and gold on panel, in carved and gilded wooden frames.

Son and pupil of the painter Giovanni Battista Marcola, Marco Marcola was among the leading figures of Veronese painting in the second half of the 18th century. Alongside his work as a fresco painter and his religious subjects, he distinguished himself above all in genre painting, depicting scenes of popular life, performances and characteristic figures rendered with a lively touch and close attention to everyday detail.

The fable of the miller, his son and the donkey, rooted in the Aesopic tradition and made famous by La Fontaine, tells of a miller travelling to market with his son to sell their donkey. Along the way the two repeatedly change how they travel to satisfy the passers-by, only to be reproached each time: when the son rides and the father walks, the young man is accused of disrespecting the old man; when both ride, they are blamed for cruelty to the animal. The moral is that those who try to please everyone end up pleasing no one.

The pair of paintings, which stylistic comparisons securely link to his hand, illustrates two episodes of the tale. In the first scene the young man rides the donkey while his father walks alongside, watched by a passer-by in a green coat who addresses them, pointing at the animal. In the second, father and son ride the donkey together along a woodland path. The figures, painted with quick brushwork and expressive characterisation of the faces, stand out against a red ground flecked with gold, which lends the panels a refined decorative effect.

Condition report: Good state of preservation of the painted surface, with traces of old restorations and abrasions to the gilding.


- This item is sold with a certificate of authenticity with legal validity.
- Further informations on the condition report are available upon request.
- All shipments are handled with professional packaging. The frame, if present, is to be understood as a gift and therefore its structural integrity during transport is not guaranteed.

*Please keep in mind that this work has not yet obtained the certificate of free export from Italy from the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage. This document certifies that the work is not part of the Italian cultural heritage. Normally the times for issuing certificates are 40 days from the date of the appointment: The new legislation in force from 2021 provides for shorter times at the discretion of the expert commission for declared amounts of less than € 13,500. All costs of this operation are included.