We are pleased to present to you a unique painting depicting the Dominican father and painter Luigi Mussini.
Luigi Mussini (Berlin 1813 – Siena 1888) studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, where he was a student of Pietro Benvenuti and Giuseppe Bezzuoli.
In 1840, he received a pension in Rome, where he spent four years studying painting. Inspired by 15th-century masters, in 1844 he opened a school in Florence: his students included Silvestro Lega and Michele Gordigiani.
In 1848, he abandoned painting to participate as a volunteer in the First War of Independence. Disappointed by the unfortunate outcome, he moved to Paris, where he met Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Hyppolite Flandrin, William Haussoullier, and other artists.
Luigi Mussini Portrait of a Dominican, 1860, front view, half-length, on a dark green background. Dressed in a buttoned-up hoodie and a white tunic, masterfully rendered with brushstrokes creating a silky, iridescent effect. He is a middle-aged father, almost bald, with a face turned slightly to the right, an intense, stern, or at least contemplative gaze, as indicated by furrowed brows and clenched lips. The simplicity of the composition and the iconic representation place this portrait of a religious man within the purist Tuscan painting culture of the mid-19th century.
The work is painted with oil paints on canvas, it is in good condition, originating from a private collection in Milan, and framed in a beautiful carved wooden frame with shells and scrolls, gilded in the shape of Mecca.
On the back, there is an inscription with the artist's signature and date: L. Mussini a vitarciano? 8bre 1860.
Height: 60 (85.5) cm
Width: 48.5 (73) cm
Depth: 4 cm
