Roberto Fontana, Italian Portrait, 19th Century, Oil on Canvas

Beautiful, deep oil on canvas painting depicting a young man facing the viewer with a very intense expression.
It bears the signature R. Fontana in the lower right-hand corner; the style, period and brushstroke point decisively toward attribution to the great Milanese artist Roberto Fontana.

This artwork, never before on the market, comes from an important European private collection and is beautified by an impressive antique frame in gilded wood, in almost perfect condition.

Certificate of authenticity issued by Sabrina Egidi official Expert in Italian furniture for the Chamber of Commerce of Rome and for the Rome Civil Courts.

Dimensions are frame included


Roberto Fontana was born in Milan on Apr. 10, 1844.
He enrolled at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, where he attended engraving courses taught by A. Bramati and painting courses taught by G. Bertini and C. Notaris.
He made his debut in the tradition of historical romanticism by presenting the work Geltrude confusedly glimpses the letter in the prince's hand at the XXV Exhibition of the Society for the Promotion of Fine Arts in Turin in 1866
However, he soon turned to genre subjects as well: at the 1872 Brera Fine Arts Exhibition he presented the painting Inspection to the Person of the Girlfriend. Russian Costume.
It was through the production of genre paintings that Fontana author of historical subjects, small landscapes and portraits, won the favor of the public of his time.
He was influenced by the milieu of the Milanese scapigliatura, and in particular by Cremona, whose shaded luminism he took up using the “impastato” color technique in use by some of the painter's followers.
with the historically inspired painting Roberto il diavolo nel chiostro di S. Rosalia (Robert the Devil in the Cloister of St. Rosalie) in 1873 he participated in the Vienna Universal Exhibition, where he obtained a medal; in 1876 he took part in the Philadelphia International Exhibition together with the Famiglia artistica di Milano, achieving a gold medal. In the same 1876, at the Esposizione dell'Accademia di Brera, he presented Aesop Tells His Fables to the Handmaids of Xanthus, earning the Prince Umberto prize and unanimous approval.
The painting, from a detail of which came the painting Handmaid's Head, in 1877 was presented at the Promotrice di belle arti in Naples-where it was exhibited together with the works Guarda! and Colomba insidiata nel proprio nido-and in 1878 it was shown again, at the Universal Exhibition in Paris, obtaining an honorable mention.
Also in 1878 F. participated with three paintings in the XXVII Exposition of the Society of Fine Arts in Turin; in the same year he exhibited in Brera the Portrait of Mrs. Boari and ideal pendant of the Portrait of the musician Angelo Boari (both paintings, are preserved in the Gallery of Modern Art in Milan).
After 1878 Fontana moved for some time to Florence, where he devoted himself to painting scenes of the Tuscan countryside and historical paintings of Florentine settings.
After the brief Florentine interlude ended, he returned to Milan, where he resided permanently.
In 1881 he presented the already well-known Mater amabilis and Aesop at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in Milan and at the National Exhibition, where he presented, under the pseudonym of Antonio Tanfo, a parody of H. Delaroche's Cromwell.
In 1883 he participated in the Esposizione di belle arti di Roma
In 1884 he participated in the Esposizione di belle arti in Turin.
The following year he exhibited Déjeuner de bebé at Brera, which was shown again in '89 at the Universal Exhibition in Paris.
He also participated in Milan in various exhibitions of the Society of Fine Arts and in the first two editions of the Brera Triennale.
In 1898 at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in Turin he presented the work Nuvolette inspired by a passage from J. Milton's Paradise Lost.
In 1900 he was present with the very famous Aesop at the Exhibition of 19th-century Lombard painting held in Milan.
Roberto Fontana died in Milan on November 25, 1907.

Ogni oggetto della nostra Galleria su richiesta, viene venduto corredato da un certificato di autenticità rilasciato da Sabrina Egidi Perito del Tribunale e della C.C.I.A.A. di Roma.
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Il dipinto è corredato da una bellissima cornice in legno dorato coeva
Le dimensioni sono cornice compresa