To mark the 250th anniversary of Venetian artist Canaletto’s death, 17 18th-century paintings from the Uffizi Galleries’ collections are on display in Palazzo Pitti’s Sala delle Nicchie as part of the Il Settecento: Una Selezione exhibition, which opened on February 7.
The Uffizi’s collection of 18th century art totals over 500 paintings. In this small sampling, which includes works taken out of storage, religious subjects have been consciously avoided, with the exhibition meant to “reflect the complexity of a varied century that saw opposites meet and collide”, according to curator Alessandra Griffo.
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- Jean-Étienne Liotard, Purported Portrait of Maria Adelaide of France dressed in Turkish clothing, 1753, Gallerie degli Uffizi, Galleria delle Statue e delle Pitture
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- Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, Girl with the Shuttlecock, 1740 c., Gallerie degli Uffizi, Galleria delle Statue e delle Pitture
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- Vincenzo Torregiani, View of the River Arno with Ponte Santa Trinita, 1750 c., Gallerie degli Uffizi, Galleria delle Statue e delle Pitture
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- François Rivière, Turkish Scene: The Cloth Merchant, 1710 c., Gallerie degli Uffizi, Galleria Palatina e Appartamenti Reali
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- Thomas Patch, View of the River Arno with Ponte di Santa Trinita, early 18th century, Gallerie degli Uffizi, Galleria delle Statue e delle Pitture
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- Antonio Joli (bottega), View of the Gulf of Naples, 1755-59, Gallerie degli Uffizi, Galleria delle Statue e delle Pitture
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- Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, Portrait of Maria Teresa Carolina de Borbòn y Vallabriga, Farnesio y Rozas, 15th Countess of Chincòn, 1801 c., Gallerie degli Uffizi, Galleria delle Statue e delle Pitture
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- François-Xavier Fabre, Portrait of Vittorio Alfieri, 1793, Gallerie degli Uffizi, Galleria delle Statue e delle Pitture
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- François-Xavier Fabre, Portrait of Luisa di Stolberg-Gedern, Countess of Albany, 1793, Gallerie degli Uffizi, Galleria delle Statue e delle Pitture
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- Giuseppe Maria Crespi, The Painter’s Family, 1708 c., Gallerie degli Uffizi, Galleria delle Statue e delle Pitture
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- Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, Girl with the Pack of Cards, 1740 c., Gallerie degli Uffizi, Galleria delle Statue e delle Pitture
Featured works instead focus on the most commonly visited Italian cities on the European Grand Tour, with the vedute of Venice’s Grand Canal and San Marco honouring Canaletto, alongside views of Florence’s Arno and the gulf of Naples. This fascination with foreign travel and the exotic is maintained in two Turkish scenes commissioned by the Medici: Jean-Étienne Liotard’s leisurely portrait of Maria Adelaide of France dressed in the Turkish style, and a painting of a Turkish fabric merchant by François Rivière. This world is set in opposition to a series of portraits and domestic scenes, including images of children at play and a relaxed portrayal of an artist at home with his family.
The exhibition is open Tuesday to Sunday from 8.15am to 6.50pm until April 15, 2018.
