Animated landscape, couple of shepherds, Pietro Fancelli, late 18th, early 19th century

Subject: animated landscape of a couple of shepherds walking along a river with a flock of sheep support: oil on wood panel dimensions: 44 X 35 cm period: late 18th early 19th condition: in its original condition signed lower left fancelli, annotated on the back in pencil "pietro fancelli 1764-1850" pietro fancelli, born may 18, 1764 in bologna and died january 22, 1850 in pesaro, is an italian neoclassical painter and scenographer of the 18th and 19th centuries. Pietro fancelli was born in bologna on may 18, 1764. He is the son of petronio fancelli and orsola benedelli. In 1774, his family moved to venice, where he studied art under the tutelage of his father and the painter from brescia lodovico gallina. He competed for the marsili-aldrovandi prize in 1784, winning with a painting of jason and medea, now on display at the academy of fine arts in bologna. He returned to bologna shortly afterwards, where he attended the accademia clementina, where he studied the works of the carracci in particular. At that time, bolognese painting was dominated mainly by the gandolfi family, but pietro nevertheless managed to make a place for himself in the milieu, his works described as halfway between the old and the new art of the gandolfi, but of a higher quality than some gandolfians such as domenico and francesco pedrini.