Ciccio Napoletano

FRANCESCO GRAZIANI "CICCIO NAPOLETANO" (Italy, 1626-?).
"Battle scene".
Oil on canvas.
Relined.
Without signature.
Period frame.
Similar works by the artist were featured in the exhibition "I battaglisti. La pittura di battaglia dal XVI al XVIII secolo". See exhibition catalog (Tivoli, 2011), p. 80-81.
Measurements: 59 x 72.5 cm; 76 x 90 cm (frame).

Graziani, popularly known as Ciccio Napoletano, specialized in the subject of battles between knights, reaching in this pictorial genre the high peaks of art. This is amply demonstrated in this lively composition of combat between armored horsemen, in front of a horizon bordered by hills. Dense columns of smoke contribute to the dramatization of the confrontation. Vigorous horses are worked in a foreshortened position, galloping or being knocked down by the enemy. Human bodies lie wounded on the ground, arms raised brandishing swords, some carrying pistols. Flashes of light reverberate off the metal of the armor, whose silver colors contrast with the red of the cloth and banners. The choice of this second color seems not to be accidental as it is associated with blood and death. White clouds furrow the sky. Some ruined fortifications can be seen in the distance. It is difficult to identify the historical battle, although the type of attire corresponds to the author's time. The stylistic qualities of the painting refer to the prestigious Neapolitan school of bâtists that flourished in the second half of the seventeenth century, highlighting its typical stylistic features. A generous material is used. The painting is uniformly illuminated with a particular light that softens the forms. The physiognomic features of the characters are effectively outlined with a few touches of the brush.

Although little contrasted information survives about Francesco Graziani's education (many sources state that he was a pupil of Borgognone) and his later activity, it is known that he moved from Naples to Rome in the last decades of the 17th century, soon becoming a well-established painter among the city's patrons.