null

Contact Us

  • silla | antiques & art
  • (717) 708-9017
  • 117 W Burd St. Shippensburg, PA 17257

About us

silla was born out of a passion for beautiful objects: special pieces with aesthetic and historical significance. In 2009, after years of collecting, Andrew Silla and his wife Grace began to work privately with clients from their residence in Southern Maryland. Quickly outgrowing the space, the business was moved from Maryland to Pennsylvania in 2012 and after several warehouse location changes it was firmly settled in the present brick-and-mortar location in downtown Shippensburg.

The 9000 square foot brick-and-mortar gallery is home to a large collection of works of art and estate jewelry. We specialize in sculpture circa 1860 through 1930 with a particular emphasis on the Animaliers and as such the gallery always has a very large collection of exceptional European and American sculpture available on display.

Skip to main content

Luigi Scaffai (Italian, 1837-1899) Interior Family Scene Painting

SKU:
611VLW11P
Shipping:
Free Shipping

This item is sold. Please email sales@sillafineantiques.com to be notified when similar items become available. Our gallery is very active in hunting down unique pieces and we will almost certainly be able to find something special for your collection.

   Absolutely love it, but price is holding you back?   NOTIFY ME OF A PRICE DROP!

catalog text

LUIGI SCAFFAI (ITALIAN, 1837-1899) INTERIOR SCENE OF MOTHER WITH CHILD
Signed lower right L. Scaffai, oil on canvas laid on artist panel
Item # 611VLW11P


A vibrant work of inordinately fine detailing, this genre painting depicts a peasant woman with her young child in a simple kitchen.  The woman is dressed in numerous layers of robe with a red headscarf of the same fabric swaddling her bundled child.  The tattered edges of the fabric show a woman accustomed to making due with what is available, a rod of spooled wool nearby suggesting she is perhaps a seamstress as well, the pile of green striped cloth in a pile on a basket possibly work to be accomplished.  The kitchen is finely detailed throughout the darkness, hints of pots and pans along the rough shelves; the green painted stucco walls shine in the daylight that breaks through a single window, the crumbling stone and concrete of crisp realism.  Born in August of 1837 in Livorno, Italy, Luigi Scaffai studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence and produced a large body of work.  His focus on the simple pleasures of the Italian villages are always well conceived and flawlessly executed.  The present example is signed lower right with a flowing red script that combines the L into the underlining of Scaffai.  An exquisite example for anyone passionate about genre works of the period.

Prior auction results for artist:

  • Christies, London, Sale 4700, 14 February 1992, lot 99, “The Doctor’s Visit”, 25.5” x 33”, achieved $ 17,508 USD
  • Sotheby’s, New York, Sale N08166, 28 January 2006, lot 199, “Helping Grandmother”, 13.5” x 17.5”, achieved $ 10,800 USD
  • Christies, London, Sale 5493, 29 October 2010, lot 379, “Clay Soldiers”, 26” x 20”, achieved $ 17,910 USD
  • Sotheby’s, Chicago, Sale CH7703, 15 October 2001, lot 1472, “Reading by Daylight”, achieved $ 7,800 USD

Literature:

  • E Benezit Dictionary of Artists, vol. XII, 2006, Gründ, p. 499
  • Popular 19th Century Painting, A Dictionary of European Genre Painters, 1986, Hook & Poltimore, p. 561, p. 570

Measurements:  [frame] 26 3/4” H x 20 5/8” W x 7/8” D [panel] 25” H x 18 3/4” W

Condition Report:
Scattered losses along the lower edge, chip loss and some surface scuffing upper left in green ledge, chip loss red fabric beneath baby’s arm; under UV showing new varnish, spot of touch up on right frame edge, possible repair/touchups to the left of the woman’s face.  Images of back inaccurate, as nails have been replaced with L-brackets and wire has been replaced for strength.