Date
1809
Object Type
Painting
Subject
Shepherds find Zenobia on the banks of the Araxes
Holding institution
Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera
Title
Zenobia tratta dal fiume Arasse da alcuni pastori Parti
Creator
Francesco Nenci
Subject
Shepherds find Zenobia on the banks of the Araxes
Object Type
Painting
Original Function
Competitions and artistic fellowships (Grande Concorso di Pittura, 1809)
Date
1809
Inscriptions
At the back of frame, top right, in pencil: "18/B"
Crest
On the stretcher, top left side, paper label: "365".
Technique / Support
Oil on canvas
Visual analysis of the technique
The brushwork is smooth and controlled, modeled to achieve clear, idealized forms, while the composition shows careful attention to classical drapery and balanced lighting. The paint surface is not particularly textured but flat and even, with full, saturated color areas, enhancing the clarity of figures and details in a manner typical of academic historic painting.
Dimensions
cm 171.5 x 230
Acquisition
Acquired as the winning piece of the Grande Concorso di Pittura competition in 1809
Holding institution
Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera
Inventory number
Inv. 1980, 365
Bibliography
Sisi, Carlo. Entry no. 565. In Pinacoteca di Brera. Dipinti dell’Ottocento e del Novecento. Collezioni dell’Accademia e della Pinacoteca, vol. 2, Musei e Gallerie di Milano. Milano: Mondadori Electa, 1994. 519–521, ill. (with previous bibliography).
Fornasari, Liletta. Francesco Nenci. Firenze: Polistampa, 2022. XX
Fornasari, Liletta. Francesco Nenci. Firenze: Polistampa, 2022. XX
Conservation status
Fair
Restoration history
Conservation work carried out in 2024 by Simona Fiori, Studio di Restauro, Milan.
Type of interventions:
on the canvas: micro-aspiration for the removal of deposits, cleaning of the reverse of the stretcher, suturing of tears and repair of holes and losses in the support, localised tensioning of deformations;
on the pictorial surface: removal of facing tissues and simultaneous localised consolidation of fragile areas within the paint layer, removal of surface deposits, surface cleaning, cleaning to remove ingrained deposits and thinning of the discoloured varnish, infilling of losses, pictorial retouching, application of a final protective coating.
Supervisory Authority: Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Metropolitan City of Milan
Internal scientific director: Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Chiara Nenci
Technical director / Qualified restorer: Simona Fiori
Restored as part of the 8th Art Bonus Awards (2024)
An initiative by the Ministero della Cultura and ALES, in collaboration with Promo PA Fondazione – LuBeC. With the contribution of Value Search Srl.
Type of interventions:
on the canvas: micro-aspiration for the removal of deposits, cleaning of the reverse of the stretcher, suturing of tears and repair of holes and losses in the support, localised tensioning of deformations;
on the pictorial surface: removal of facing tissues and simultaneous localised consolidation of fragile areas within the paint layer, removal of surface deposits, surface cleaning, cleaning to remove ingrained deposits and thinning of the discoloured varnish, infilling of losses, pictorial retouching, application of a final protective coating.
Supervisory Authority: Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Metropolitan City of Milan
Internal scientific director: Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Chiara Nenci
Technical director / Qualified restorer: Simona Fiori
Restored as part of the 8th Art Bonus Awards (2024)
An initiative by the Ministero della Cultura and ALES, in collaboration with Promo PA Fondazione – LuBeC. With the contribution of Value Search Srl.
Frame, base, secondary support
The painting is set in a rectangular frame . It features beige tempera-painted bands, bordered internally by thin gilded moldings. Conservation treatment of the frame comprised micro-aspiration, surface cleansing to remove coherent and incoherent deposits, localised consolidation of lifting areas, fixing of a partially detached fragment, infilling of the most visually disruptive losses and subsequent tonal lowering
Unique identifier
0302200998