Domenico Mondo
Capodrise 1723 – Naples 1806
Design for a frontispice
Black chalk, pen and black ink, grey wash. Framing lines in black chalk.
280 x 217 mm – 11 x 8 5/8 in.
This fine sheet is typical for the style of Domenico Mondo, a symptomatic artist of the transition from Rococo to neoclassical style in Naples.
Mondo first trained in Naples with Francesco Solimena. In 1754, he went to Rome, where he got acquainted with the pupils of the French Academy. He executed numerous paintings for Neapolitan churches and was a prolific draughtsman. He was appointed director to the Neapolitan Drawing Academy from 1789 to 1805.
On this design for a frontispiece, the light grey wash and three malicious dancing silhouettes of the angel of fame, the satyr, and the nymph are particularly elegant for this artist whose draughtsmanship can be, at times, a little sketchy. The exquisite gracefulness of this drawing recalls that Mondo was also a poet in the Bernesche vein, that is to say, very much inspired by the association of elegance and comic typical of Francesco Berni (1490 – 1536).
Condition report – Very good condition
