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Fine Antique Arms and Armour from Around the World

Tuesday 25 March 2025 e Wednesday 26 March 2025, 02:00 PM • Sarzana

295

"De Cristofori's Last Stand at the Battle of Dogali", 1889

Estimate

€ 1.500 - 2.000

Sold

€ 5.500

The price includes buyer's premium

Information

Kingdom of Italy
dimensions with frame 209 x 153 cm.
Oil on canvas. A majestic representation of the heroic last resistance of Italian soldiers on the hill near Dogali, attacked by overpowering enemy troops. In the centre we see the commander, Lieutenant Colonel Tommaso De Cristoforis, exhausted by the battle but still standing proudly and stoically in front of the enemy, armed with his sabre and Vetterli rifle with a fixed bayonet. Around him there are his soldiers, some wounded or dying, but all fighting for the last, strenuous defence. In addition to the scene's general plasticity and beautiful dynamism, the meticulous care in the depiction of the weapons is remarkable. The author must have copied the originals, as both the Vetterli rifles and the bayonets are perfect. The canvas is signed and dated "G. Molini 1889" at the bottom left. It is presented in a large earlier gilded frame with rich stucco work and floral decorations (the gilding and stucco work with missing parts and signs of time).