Europe, Northern Italian, ca. 1700 to 1750. Signed "G.O. f" ("f" an abbreviation for "fecit" meaning "made this" in Latin) on the lower right. A wonderful large-scale Northern Italian genre painting - probably created in Bologna, Bergamo, or Brescia - that presents a fascinating scene of a town center with many entertaining vignettes: market stands where smoked meats, fresh produce, and fish are being sold; shoppers carrying baskets to hold their purchases; uniformed soldiers walking about; one soldier on horseback; children playing; dogs hunting for food scraps; two men entertaining folks by climbing a pole to reach a display of suspended prizes with a trumpet player amidst the crowd below; and a man standing upon a stage or platform at the right corner, attempting to rouse an audience for the harlequin clown who appears to be more interested in his bottle of wine. All is set amidst vernacular buildings that bear even more signs of life: laundry drying on clotheslines, a woman looking out from her balcony, birds flying overhead, and a lone black cat perched upon a rooftop. A wonderful composition, packed with seemingly countless amusing narratives, painted in northern Italy during the 18th century. Size: 39.125" L x 46.875" W (99.4 cm x 119.1 cm)

Provenance: private Honolulu, Hawaii, USA collection

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#165902

Painting presents with expected age wear and areas of craquelure. It is initialed on the lower right -"G.O. f" ("f" an abbreviation for "fecit" meaning "made this" in Latin) on the lower right.. There is an old repair at the lower center (with a visible patch on the verso of the canvas).