Fish, Spiny Lobster, Squid, and Spider Crab on a Stone Ledge
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The Artist
Giovan Battista Recco was born around 1615 in Naples, and he is assumed to be the brother of Giacomo Recco and thus also born into an intergenerational family workshop. Little is known about Giovan Battista Recco, as there are few works that are known to be signed or monogrammed by Giovan Battista [1]. Currently, there are only two paintings that are clearly signed in full and dated that serve to identify Giovan Battista’s work [2]. Additionally, there have been issues with attribution of Giovan Battista’s work, as he shares the same initials, “GBR,” as Giovan Battista Ruoppolo, another prominent Neapolitan still-life painter at the time. Furthermore, Giovan Battista Recco and Giovan Battista Ruoppolo both created still life paintings of similar subject matter, including kitchen interiors and pantry scenes [3]. This lack of clear attribution has led several works to be attributed to Giovan Battista simply through stylistic similarities alone. Beyond direct signatures on paintings, there are fewer than twenty works that are attributed to Giovan Battista based on seventeenth-century and eighteenth-century inventories that mention Giovan Battista under the nickname “Titta Recco” [4]. Giovan Battista is said to have been inspired by the work of Roman Caravaggesque painters and Spanish still-life paintings [5]. Some scholars have speculated that Giovan Battista may have been trained in Spain, but scholars such as Damian argue that it is more likely that Giovan Battista may have come into contact with Spanish painters residing in Naples and became influenced through that contact [6].
Fish, Spiny Lobster, Squid, and Spider Crab on a Stone Ledge
Fish, Spiny Lobster, Squid, and Spider Crab on a Stone Ledge is an oil on canvas painting measuring 102 by 128.5 centimeters created by Giovan Battista Recco in 1653. Signed and dated “Gio. Batta/1653,” on the upper right wooden strut of the work, this painting has been a key piece for scholars attempting to establish what works make up Giovan Battista’s body of work [7]. This marine still life painting depicts the fish and other marine life in a highly naturalistic form. The painting has a varied arrangement of the marine life spread out amongst kitchen ware such as copper bowls and woven baskets. The painting is set in a dimly lit setting, with glimmers of light reflecting off of the shimmering fish scales and slimy squid skins arranged around the painting. The light reflecting off of the marine life highlights the creatures in contrast with the painting’s dark background.
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Works Cited
- Christie's. “Sardines Suspended from Twine and Onions on a Stone Ledge.” Giovan Battista Recco (Naples c. 1615-c. 1660). Christie's, 2006. https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-4836794.
- Damian Véronique, and Nicola Spinosa. “‘Natura in Posa’ in Seventeenth-Century Naples: Progress and Setbacks in Research.” Essay. In L'œil Gourmand: A Journey through Neapolitan Still Life of the 17th Century: Paris, Galerie Canesso, 26 September - 27 October 2007, 8–13. Paris, France: Galerie Canesso, 2007.
- Damian Véronique, and Nicola Spinosa. “‘Natura in Posa’ in Seventeenth-Century Naples: Progress and Setbacks in Research.” Essay. In L'œil Gourmand: A Journey through Neapolitan Still Life of the 17th Century: Paris, Galerie Canesso, 26 September - 27 October 2007, 8–13. Paris, France: Galerie Canesso, 2007.
- Christie's. “Sardines Suspended from Twine and Onions on a Stone Ledge.” Giovan Battista Recco (Naples c. 1615-c. 1660). Christie's, 2006. https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-4836794.
- Middione, Roberto. “Recco Family.” Oxford Art Online, 2003. https://doi.org/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.t071027.
- Damian Véronique. “Giovan Battista Recco.” Essay. In L'œil Gourmand: A Journey through Neapolitan Still Life of the 17th Century: Paris, Galerie Canesso, 26 September - 27 October 2007, 34–35. Paris, France: Galerie Canesso, 2007.
- Damian Véronique. “Giovan Battista Recco.” Essay. In L'œil Gourmand: A Journey through Neapolitan Still Life of the 17th Century: Paris, Galerie Canesso, 26 September - 27 October 2007, 34–35. Paris, France: Galerie Canesso, 2007.
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