Francesco Londonio
1723 - 1783
A Study of a Nanny Goat and her Three Kids
Medium:
Oil on Paper laid on Panel
Category:
Dimensions:
36.8(h) x 51.3(w) cms
Signed:
Signed lower right: 'Londonio'
Exhibitions:
Essay:
Francesco Londonio began his career as a pupil of Ferdinando Porta. His early work was in painting history pictures, but he later was to specialise in rustic and pastoral landscape and animal paintings for which there was a ready market among wealthy Italian patrons. With these works - especially the animal pictures - he soon became famous and he had considerable success in Naples and Genoa. Londonio was also appointed by Maria Theresa of Austria as draughtsman and stage designer for the opera house Il Nuovo Regio Ducale Teatro alla Scala in Milan, now known simply as La Scala.
Londonio was particularly fond of painting on paper which was then laid on a panel. His works were popular in England and are recorded in the inventories of Sir William Hamilton who owned a 'Study of Goats in Oil, on Paper'. The artist Paul Sandby owned a pair of studies of peasants at work, and Benjamin West PRA owned several oil sketches mainly consisting of studies of goats' and sheep's heads.
Provenance:
Private collection, UK
