GIOVANNI BATTISTA MARCOLA (Verona, 1711 - 1780 ) St. Luke painting the Virgin Mary Saint Luke asleep with the angel painting the Virgin Mary Pen and sepia watercolour on paper, 31X41.5 cm Provenance: Milan, Finarte, April 1975, lot 204 Milan, private collection Giovanni Battista Marcola was the progenitor of a family of artists active in Verona and trained in the workshop of Simone Brentana, but his graphic production suggests knowledge of far more illustrious models derived from Giovanni Battista Castiglione, Sebastiano Ricci and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. Testifying to his early critical fortune is the role he played in founding the local Academy of Painting. However, his personality and production has yet to be adequately reconstructed due to the scarce biographical information and the dispersion of the works he executed for Veronese churches. However, the artist's versatile inventiveness is undoubtedly evident in his frescoes and elaborate graphic works characterised by an elegant and complex theatricality. Reference bibliography: U. Ruggeri, Disegni dei Marcola, in Critica d¿arte, XVII (XXXV), 1970, no. 110, March-April, pp. 35-50 U. Ruggeri, Disegni dei Marcola, in Critica d'arte, XVII (XXXV), 1970, no. 112, July-August, pp. 49-61 D. Tosato, Giambattista Marcola, in I Pittori dell'Accademia di Verona (1764-1813), Montello 2011, pp. 263-267 (with previous bibliography) A. Tomezzoli, Giambattista Marcola disegnatore di 'istorie': problemi aperti, in I mille volti del passato. Studies in honour of Francesca Ghedini, edited by J. Bonetto, M. Salvadori, A.R. Ghiotto, P. Zanovello, M.S. Busana, Rome 2016, pp. 333-340