Felice Zennaro, Motherhood - Painted with black smoke on ceramic of an oval serving dish

Felice Zennaro, motherhood, early 1900s, Painted with black smoke on ceramic of an oval serving dish. The black smoke was then sealed with a fixer, and the painter masterfully rendered it onto the shutters. At the bottom, the inscription reads “made with smoke …… F. Zennaro “. In good condition, except for a few minor scratches.

Felice Zennaro, also known as Leppa, was born on October 8, 1833, in Pellestrina, Venice province. His first artistic training took place at the Venice Academy, where he likely met Natale Schiavoni, who had already settled permanently in the lagoon city at that time. Later, Zennaro studied in Milan at the Brera Academy, as a pupil of Giuseppe Bertini, with studies often interrupted to voluntarily fight in the wars for independence against Austria, as evidenced by patriotic paintings such as La Battaglia della Bezzecca. This work is a powerful interpretation of drama (Milan, Risorgimento Museum), in which the artist was wounded and left for dead. In 1865, he exhibited at the Brera Fine Arts Society a work titled Turca, purchased by the Society; in 1898, he was in Turin with the painting Ingenuità e buon cuore. Two years later, he exhibited First Steps at the Milanese exhibition of 19th-century Lombard painting. Even themes related to gender often refer to the Risorgimento epic or are connected to it. Moreover, his activity as a portraitist is noteworthy, as evidenced by works such as Self-Portrait, Portrait of Count Francesco Annoni, and Portrait of Mrs. Cottini (Milan, Contemporary Art Gallery). He died in Milan on March 7, 1926. His works are housed in the Risorgimento Museum and in the portrait collection of Ospedale Maggiore in Milan.

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