FRANCESCO MONTI known as THE BRITISH OF THE BATTLE (Brescia, 1646 - Parma, 1703) Battle between European cavalry near a fortress Oil on canvas, 92X148 cm Provenance: Milan, private collection The painting depicts a clash between European cavalries near a fortress. The characteristics of style and quality indicate the attribution of the battles to Brescianino, whose earliest biographical information is offered by L'Abecedario Pittorico dell'Orlandi, which documents his apprenticeship with Pietro Ricchi in Venice and Borgognone in Rome, narrating a life spent pursuing fortune and fame in the main cities of the Peninsula, with stays in Genoa, Naples, Piacenza and Parma. Peculiar to the painter is the depiction of combat in the foreground, described with chromatic vividness and careful stage direction, where clumps of clouds amalgamate with dense fumes, emphasising the maelstrom of violence that finds its climax in the foreground, with the knights vibrating sword blows according to a realistic intonation taken from Courtois, in which the vividness of the robes and the reflections of the harnesses stand out. Due to his talents, the painter's fortune was extraordinary: in 1670 his presence at the court of Parma is documented, where he stayed from 1681 to 1695 and the Medici inventories indicate as many as six paintings of his, while the Palatine Gallery included another four large canvases of military subjects (cf. M. Chiarini 1989). Brescianino emancipated himself from Borgognone's teachings and devoted himself to figure and landscape painting, executing fascinating sea fortunes inspired by Pieter Mulier. Reference bibliography: P. A. Orlandi, Abecedario pittorico, Bologna 1704, p. 166 M. Chiarini, Battaglie. Dipinti dal XVII al XIX Secolo nelle Gallerie fiorentine, exhibition catalogue, Florence 1989, pp. 87-88 G. Sestieri, I pittori di battaglie, Maestri italiani e stranieri del XVII e XVIII Secolo, Roma 1999, pp. 228-257