18th century Neapolitan School Still life with flowers, pottery and architecture in the background oil on canvas, 70 x 40 cm Frame, 56 x 86 cm The present painting shows a composition with a large golden amphora lying on its side in the center, facing left. A cascade of flowers flows out from it, creating a vibrant and disordered cluster. Next to the vase, a large white plate is leaning diagonally against it. The flowers are depicted in various colors, including bright reds, blues and whites. The background is enriched by the presence of ancient ruins and a sky mixed with intense blues and oranges, suggesting a sunset or early evening setting. The distinctly Neapolitan mark, evident in the addition of pottery objects and the light blue plate, as well as the full corollas of the flowers, highlights the contemporary influence of Giuseppe Lavagna, a protagonist of Neapolitan still life painting of the 17th century in the wake of Andrea Belvedere, French florists, and in harmony with Gaspare Lopez, another champion of Neapolitan still life. There are few documents about the artist, who is often confused with Francecso Lavagna, with whom he almost certainly shares a family connection, cited by the biographer of Neapolitan painters, sculptors and architects Bernardo de Dominici. What is certain is that this still life is influenced by these Neapolitan masters. The Lavagnas favored compositions formed by cascades of flowers and fruit, usually set outdoors, accompanied by vases, jugs, ancient ruins, statues of female figures and animals. Another distinctive feature of the painter is the addition of ceramics with delicate light blue coloring, not only a chromatic expedient with a decorative purpose but evidence of the refined taste for artisanal production that arrived in large ports such as Naples.