Acquisition of a painting by Il Todeschini

The work: Mason and shoemaker

A large painting by Austrian-born painter Giacomo Francesco Cipper, known as Il Todeschini (1664-1736), joins the ranks of ^18th-century Italian paintings, with a subject that is enigmatic to say the least! Although the date, circa 1710, is too early to see with certainty an allegory of Freemasonry, which only developed later in the century, this large composition invites us to perceive a hidden meaning behind the cobbler and the mason, the dog and the cat, and the various details such as the rich jewels, inconsistent with the social status of the protagonist wearing them.

At first glance, this large-format work with its antique frame appears to be a simple building site scene. In the foreground, a mason is shown holding a trowel, seated on the ground in front of a table holding a number of tools. His right foot is bare in the foreground, and the missing shoe is visible in the hand of a cobbler in the background. However, this element should be considered in conjunction with other symbols in the painting. In fact, our mason is wearing a large ring and is also holding a rapier, contradictory to his position in the society of the time. However, a study of the texts commenting on the initiation rites of Settecento Freemasonry all show that the initiation rite required, among its many trials, the presentation of the left foot, obviously beaten and abused, to testify to the respect that the initiate must show towards Art, while the sword is also often used in the same initiation rite. The presence of the dog and cat in the middle of a conflict is another element that raises questions when reading the work, perfectly embodying the expression "like cat and dog" that has also existed in Italian for several centuries. Taken together, all these elements make it easy to grasp the importance of the multiplicity of discourse in this painting, going beyond the strict illustration of craft trades.

This painting was acquired from the Enrico Frascione gallery, with the participation of the Friends of the Museums of Orléans, the DRAC Centre Val de Loire and Pascal Grégoire, a loyal patron of the museum, who in 2018 enabled the restoration of Velázquez's Saint Thomas.

The artist : Il Todeschini

Giovanni Francesco Cipper, known as il Todeschini, is so nicknamed because of his Austrian origins. Active mainly in Lombardy, and to a lesser extent in Veneto, his art is often associated with Monsù Bernardo (Eberhard Keilhau) and Genoese painting. He belongs fully to the group of Lombardy reality painters brought together in an exhibition by Roberto Longhi in Milan in 1953. This was the starting point for a major rediscovery of this painter. One of the main points highlighted by the latest studies is the multiplicity of the artist's work, which is not limited to strict genre scenes that could have been taken on the spot. On the contrary, most of his works involve skilful composition using engraved or painted sources, and a sense that goes beyond the strict representation of the less fortunate.