FRANCESCO DELLA QUESTA (Naples, 1639 - 1723) LUCA GIORDANO (Naples, 1634 - 1705) Still life with fruit, ducks, parrot, dog and child with a shell Signed lower left Oil on canvas, 180X230 cm Provenance: Italy, private collection Considered by critics to be one of the most convincing heirs of Giovanni Battista Ruoppolo (Naples 1629 - 1693), Francesco Della Questa marked the evolution of Neapolitan still life painting in a post-naturalistic and 18th-century key. It was Bernardo De Dominici who emphasised the artist's talent: 'who imitated the natural world very well, and made excellent paintings of greenery, for which he was much praised in this genre; because, having made a special study, he had surpassed his master in this area, and his fame grew, and he was employed by various nobles, who wanted to adorn their rooms with his paintings, as they were great amateurs of painting and great lovers of the fine arts at the time. For which he was much employed and drew much fruit. For our part, we can only concur with this judgement, noting that Francesco's drafts and compositions are characterised by vibrant impasti of considerable harmony, so much so that they can be compared to the achievements of Andrea Belvedere and Abraham Brueghel (Antwerp, 1631 - Naples, 1697). The flamboyant style also places him close to Aniello Ascione (documented in Naples between 1680 and 1708), for the captivating Baroque sensibility derived from Luca Giordano who, in our case, intervenes by painting the figure piece. Thus, the canvas under examination represents a significant addition to the painter's catalogue and a document pertaining to the collaboration between the two masters. In this regard, it should not be overlooked that in terms of illustrative tenor, Della Questa's most spectacular paintings were produced in 1684 under the direction of Luca Giordano for the Viceroy Marquis de Carpio in honour of the feast of Corpus Domini. It was a cycle of canvases painted by the greatest still life specialists: Giuseppe Recco, Abraham Brueghel, Giovan Battista Ruoppolo and, indeed, Francesco Della Questa, whose fame was universally acclaimed. And again De Dominici testifies that: 'The fish and sweet things with flowers were painted by Cav. Giuseppe Recco, the fruit and flowers by the excellent Flemish painter Abram Brueghel and by Gio. Battista Ruoppoli, who is famous in this genre, and in the copper tableware - the seafood and herbs by Francesco della Questa, while the animals and figures are by Luca Giordano: so that the exhibition of these paintings was more beautiful than the four altars themselves, which are supposed to be famous in that day for their magnificence and for the marvellous copy of silver'. Consequently, it arises spontaneously to suppose that the canvases under examination were part of the above-mentioned series or that they well represent an analogy of it given their monumental character. Thanks are due to Nicola Spinosa for the attribution of the picture to Luca Giordano. Reference bibliography: B. De Dominici, Vite de pittori, scultori ed architetti napoletani 1742-1745 (anastatic reprint of 1979), pp. 300-301 G. De Logu, La natura morta italiana, Bergamo 1962, pp. 149-196 L. Salerno, La natura morta italiana 1560-1805, Rome 1984, pp. 225-227 F. Bologna, Paesaggi e nature morte dall'Italia e dall'Europa del Nord tra XVI e XVIII secolo, Rome 1985, pp. 102-103, n. 50 R. Middione, in Ritorno al Barocco, exhibition catalogue edited by N. Spinosa. Naples 2009, pp. 422-425