Venetian school, possibly Giovanni Battista Pittoni; XVII century.

Venetian school, possibly GIOVANNI BATTISTA PITTONI (Venice 1687-1767); XVII century.
"Allegory."
Oil on canvas.
It has frame of the nineteenth century.
Measurements: 52,5 x 38,5 cm; 65 x 50 cm (frame).
The scene is organized in a dynamic diagonal axis: in the superior part, a feminine figure wrapped in wide white cloths descends among clouds, accompanied by a putto carrying symbolic attributes; in the inferior zone, a group of figures is arranged on a monumental stairway, articulated by means of classic architectures that reinforce the scenographic character of the composition. The structure responds to a theatrical approach, characteristic of Venetian painting of the eighteenth century. The break of glory opens the space towards a luminous and blue sky, while the earthly figures are grouped in various attitudes, astonishment, supplication, dejection, creating a narrative rhythm that guides the viewer's gaze. The brushstroke is loose and vibrant, with a chromatic range rich in golden ochers, blues and pinks that brings lightness and brilliance to the whole.
The formal language is reminiscent of the artistic environment shared by Giambattista Tiepolo and Giovanni Battista Piazzetta, leading figures of the Venetian Rococo. Like them, Pittoni stood out for his inclination towards subjects drawn from ancient history, mythology and classical literature, developing compositions of marked decorative character and elegant artifice. The figures, wrapped in generously pleated robes, adopt emphatic gestures and a certain theatricality that underlines the allegorical sense of the scene.
Born in Venice in 1687, Pittoni was initially trained by his uncle Francesco Pittoni, who was still linked to the seismic tradition. He later broadened his artistic horizon through the study of painters such as Francesco Solimena, Antonio Bellucci or Niccolò Grassi, incorporating a lighter coloring and a more dynamic composition. It is likely that a trip to Paris in the early 1720s favored the affinity of his style with the French Rococo, perceptible in the elegance of the figures and the atmospheric softness. Throughout his career he worked for important Italian centers -Vicenza, Verona, Padua, Milan or Bergamo- and also for European courts, including the Spanish court, producing in 1735 a work for the palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso. He was a founding member of the Venetian Academy and became its president in 1758, consolidating its institutional prestige.