Andrea CASALI (Civita Vecchia, 1705 - 1784 ) Moses saved from the waters Oil on canvas Moses saved from the waters, oil on canvas, by A. Casali 38.98 x 48.82 in. 99.5 x 124.5 cm Provenance : Horace Buttery Collection ; Anonymous sale; Paris, Hôtel Drouot, Me Mathias, 9 April 2010, n°54 ; Acquired at this sale by the current owners Exhibitions: French Society of Artists, London, 1772, n°39 An important artist of the Italian Rococo period, Andrea Casali enjoyed a fine reputation in Italy, England and France. After working in the workshops of Conca and Trevisani, Andrea Casali was commissioned by numerous Roman churches. In 1729, Pope Benedict XIII awarded him the Knight's Cross for decorating the San Sisto Vecchio cloister. In 1740, Casali left Italy and stayed in Paris for a few months, during which time he was admitted to the Royal Academy of Painting before settling in London for around twenty years. He produced a variety of works: portraits, religious and secular subjects commissioned by wealthy patrons such as the Earl of Carlisle, Sir Charles Frederick and Thomas Coke. Two other versions, with variations, exist of this composition depicting Moses saved from the waters1. 1. Moses Saved from the Waters, canvas, 67.5 x 88.5cm (cf. A. Laing, "Masterpieces from Yorkshire Houses" in The Burlington Magazine, March 1994, p.196, fig. 50) and Moses Saved from the Waters, canvas, 29.5 x 35.5cm in the London trade (Lasson Gallery) in the 1970s (as attributed to Jean-François de Troy). Andrea CASALI (Civita Vecchia, 1705 - 1784 ) 99.5 x 124.5 cm