FRANCESCO BATTAGLIOLI (attr. to) (Modena, 1717 - Venice, 1796) Architectural Capriccio Oil on canvas, 88X149 cm A specialist in depicting landscapes, views and especially Capricci, Battaglioli was capable of evoking scenic representations of elegant decoration, in the wake of Giovanni Paolo Pannini and Antonio Joli. Like many of his colleagues, he was an artist of European significance. In fact, from 1754 to 1760 his presence in Madrid in the service of the Spanish Court is documented, devoting himself like Joli to theatrical scenography, the first documentary traces of which date back to 1747, when he collaborated with composers Baldassare Galuppi and Antonio Gaetano Pampani. The painter's celebrated skill as a scenographer is well demonstrated in these models, where skilful drawing and painting lead to results worthy of the best theatrical tradition. Reference bibliography: D. Succi, Francesco Battaglioli, in Capricci veneziani del Settecento, Turin 1988, pp. 260-271 G. Sestieri, Il capriccio architettonico in Italia nel XVII e XVIII secolo, Roma 2015, I, pp. 30-51