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Octavianus Monfort
Turin 1620-1696
Tempera still life on parchment
24x32 cm with frame 32.7x40.5
In an elegant white and blue majolica fruit bowl, some apples, pears, peaches and an artichoke are arranged.
A refined work whose pictorial surfaces enjoy an intact chromatism (the artichoke is still green and clearly shows the darker tips on the leaves), a sign of jealous conservation away from direct light sources, supported by a particularly meticulous handwriting.
Octavianus Monfort was born on May 2, 1620
In 1636, at just sixteen years old, thanks to his undoubted pictorial qualities, he already boasted the position of "Aggiutante di Credenza di Madama Reale", at the Savoy court, remaining a protégé of Cristina of France until her death in 1663.
He then worked for a long time for the Savoy Court, where his tempera on parchment creations were particularly appreciated.
His art, very full of metaphysical abstraction, draws from the spirit of the works of very ancient painters, the archetypes of which are certainly to be found in the xenia (the naturalistic representations that came to light during the Vesuvian excavations) and which strongly influenced the artists between the 16th and 17th centuries.
His works, delicate and strong at the same time, in which the soft colors and balanced compositions give rise to extremely “modern” creations, can be considered “timeless” works capable of communicating balance and beauty.
Monfort died in 1696.
