Signed upper right: L. Bechi

(Possibly) Louis Pisani Gallery, Florence; Private collection; Private collection, Great Neck, New York, by descent from the above.

Luigi Bechi (Italian, 1830-1919) Two children playing with a caged bird Oil on canvas 21 x 27 inches (53.3 x 68.6 cm) Signed upper right: L. Bechi PROVENANCE: Louis Pisani Gallery, Florence; Private collection, Great Neck, New York; Thence by descent. The Florentine genre painter Luigi Bechi trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in his hometown, where he developed a precise painting style that perfectly suited his love for depicting slices of life resplendent with color, texture, and detail. Although he produced several history paintings early in his career, Bechi concentrated on children. He crafted every detail of their clothing, their playthings, interior rooms, and landscapes. In contrast to many genre painters, Bechi felt equally at home painting scenes indoors and out, and the latter efforts often possess a light-dappled quality that reveals his fringe associations with the Macchiaioli, a group of painters active in Tuscany who painted outside to capture natural light and shade with patchy strokes (macchia) which look forward to Impressionism. The present work owes a great deal of its beauty to Bechi's masterful use of light and shade. Taking a cue from the Old Masters, particularly Caravaggio's use of chiaroscuro, Bechi silhouetted the profile of the little girl in the front of this composition against the illuminated face of her companion behind her. Placed side by side, the contrasting faces provide a wonderful example of one of Bechi's greatest skills—his ability to create exceedingly natural expressions of delight in children. Works by Luigi Bechi can be seen in the Palazzo Pitti, Florence and in the Prado Museum, Madrid. HID12401132022 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

Lined canvas. Some yellowing to the varnish layer. Craquelure throughout. Faint creases visible under raking light, particularly near edges. Some scattered small holes and tears to original canvas near edges, stabilized when lined. Scattered small surface abrasions. Some scattered small losses beneath rightmost child's chin and at lower edge in lower left quadrant. Not examined out of frame. Under UV: varnish fluoresces green unevenly. Brushy retouching at edges and in the background. More finely applied retouching to the bird's cage and to a lesser extent to the hat and hair of the rightmost child. Framed Dimensions 27.5 X 33.75 X 1.75 Inches