(Livorno 1842–1903 Florence)
Returning from the Hunt, signed ECecconi, oil on canvas, 57 x 141.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private Collection, Italy

Catalogued and Illustrated in:
Giampaolo Daddi, Eugenio Cecconi, Lecco: Stefanoni ed., 1973, p. 228, no. 153 (Dopo la Caccia).

A much smaller version, half the size of the present lot, was last offered at Bonhams in London on 10 July 2013. The present version is recorded in a black and white photograph in Gianpaolo Daddi’s 1973 catalogue on Eugenio Cecconi.

Eugenio Cecconi first studied law at university in Pisa. He then enrolled at the Accademia in Florence under Enrico Pollastrini (1817-1876). In 1866 he opened a studio in Livorno with Giovanni Belimbau (1845-1938). That summer he was invited to Castiglioncello by Diego Martelli where he worked with Giovanni Boldini and Giuseppe Abbati.
In 1873 he settled in Ceppato where he painted hunting scenes. In 1875 he travelled to Tunisia with Belimbau and became interested in Oriental scenes following his sojourn there.
Ritorno della caccia is a spectacular example in terms of scale, quality and a strong sense of atmosphere. Cecconi excelled in depicting horses and dogs and captured their anatomy with great skill. The landscapes of Tuscany provided him with a wealth of subjects and form the backdrop of his best-known works such as La caccia al cinghiale nel Padule di Burano held at the Modern Art Gallery in Florence. He continued to paint hunting scenes throughout the 1880s.