Paolo Porpora (Italian 1617-1673) Still Life of Shells and Coral

PAOLO PORPORA (ITALIAN 1617-1673) STILL LIFE OF SHELLS AND CORAL

Oil on canvas 45 x 32cm (17½ x 12½ in.)

Provenance: Sale Sotheby’s, London, 12 December 2008, lot 225 as Attributed to Bartolomeo Bimbi

Exhibited: Naples, Museo Principe Diego Aragona Pignatelli Cortes, 12 December 2009-11 April 2010.Literature: D. Maria Pagano, in N. Spinosa (ed.) Ritorno al Barocco. Da Caravaggion a Vanvitelli, exhibition catalogue, Naples 2009, vo. I, p. 373, cat. no. 1.216

Saleroom Notice: Please note that the attribution to Paolo Porpora has also been confirmed by Giuseppe Porzio and dateable to 1660s. For a key of the work see fig. 1. For further details please speak to a member of the department.  Porpora started his career in Naples, but moved to Rome in 1656 where he was a member of the Accademia de San Luca. He was a key figure in the Neopolitan School of still life. The coral and shells included in the present work were often collected and displayed in cabinet of curiosities and were a popular subject matter for artists in the 17th Century. This still life depicts lambis lambis, cypraea, cymnatide, cenithium, galaodea amongst others We are grateful to Dr Di Fratta for confirming the attribution to Paolo Porpora on the basis of a photograph.