Paolo Monaldi Lot n° 239

Paolo Monaldi (Rome 1710-Rome after 1779) The Blind Fly Oil on canvas 65x99 cm - with frame 85x118 cm Monogram "PM" lower left In front of a tavern a young man enjoys playing blind man's buff with a small child. Around them a group of farmers relax by playing and singing, while on the right, in front of a source from which water flows, some commoners seem intent on enjoying the scene. In the background, painted almost en grisaille, some men are still at work while harvesting wheat. The author of this canvas, traceable both for the unmistakable style and for the monogram placed on a jug at the bottom left, is Paolo Monaldi, an 18th century Roman painter who trained in the workshop of Paolo Anesi. We are probably faced with one of the most beautiful easel paintings made by the artist. His mastery builds the various perspective planes, the calibrated shades of the forehead and the sky, the characterization of each character stands out against some examples by other painters and with the same iconography. Reference bibliography: A. Busiri Vici d'Arcevia, Roman landscape triptych of the 18th century (Paolo Anesi-Paolo Monaldi-Alessio De Marchis), Ugo Bozzi Editore, Rome 1976, fig. 155, p. 150