VIRGILIO TOJETTI (Italy/California/ New York, 1851-1901). SCENE FROM GREEK MYTHLOGY, signed and dated "1876" lower right. Oil on canvas
Click here to view supplemental information for this lot. - Framed, 10 3/4 in. x 10 3/4 in. Estimate $1,000-2,000
Depicts a scene from Greek myth, perhaps. A male god in a red robe, possibly Hermes or Apollo (on account of the lyre at his feet), sits amidst the clouds, attended by three women and three putti, one of whom carries a studded shield. Oil on canvas. The painting is framed in the original, beautifully-decorated, period gold frame, with a 10 ¾ in. x 10 ¾ in. octagonal aperture, through which the mythological scene is visible. This is a small painting, which almost certainly served as a study for a mural or fresco in a major private or public San Francisco edifice, as faint scoring lines for transfer are visible. On the verso of the canvas is the stencil of Morris Schwab & Co., a purveyor of paintings, etchings, and gold frames in "All Styles" and artist's materials, located at 21 Post Street, San Francisco.
