As part of Il Ponte Casa d’Aste’s autumn auction dedicated to the ancient world, taking place from 28 to 31 October 2025, the section devoted to Old Master Paintings and Drawings presents an extensive array of works.
From enigmatic portraits to allegorical scenes and the graceful flights of cherubs: each line and brushstroke invites careful observation, offering an encounter with a refined and stimulating form of collecting.
Among the highlights of the sale stands “Susanna and the Elders” by Matteo Loves (lot 79, estimate € 35,000 - 45,000), a German master active in Bologna between 1625 and 1647. The “most virtuous Susanna” captivates through an original interpretation: a Nordic clarity intertwined with the emotional theatricality inherited from Guercino, resulting in a work of striking contemporary vitality.
Lot 79
Matteo Loves, "Susanna and the Elders", oil on canvas (cm 113,5x124,5).
Estimate € 35.000 - 45.000
The interplay of drama and passion is also at the heart of “Tancredi baptizes Clorinda” by a 17th-century master (lot 73, estimate € 15,000 - 18,000). The duel between the two lover-enemies, drawn from Tasso’s epic, culminates in a gesture of pity and remorse—a scene of great pathos and narrative intensity, whose composition pays homage to Emilian painting while its background recalls Lombard atmospheres.
Epic pathos also animates “The fire of Trioia and the escape of Aeneas” by Agostino Tassi (lot 68, estimate € 6,000 - 9,000), where the drama of history intertwines with striking painterly detail, revealing both the influence of Northern art and Tassi’s gift for evoking scenes of strong emotional impact.
Lot 73
Master of the 17th century, "Tancredi baptizes Clorinda", oil on canvas (cm 278x181).
Estimate € 15.000 - 18.000
Lot 68
Agostino Tassi, "The fire of Trioia and the escape of Aeneas", oil on canvas (cm 93x132,5).
Estimate € 6.000 - 9.000
Considered by some to be the most lively and innovative Bolognese painter of the 18th century, Giuseppe Maria Crespi offers his interpretation of a major traditional subject, “The Adoration of the Shepherds” (lot 100, estimate € 11,000 - 12,000). Through textured, luminous brushwork, he transforms the figures into beings of surprising humanity, animated by tangible gestures and heartfelt emotion—a scene that evokes the generosity and conviviality of a timeless rustic celebration.
Lot 100
Giuseppe Maria Crespi, "Adoration of the Shepherds", circa 1735-45, oil on canvas (cm 62x66,5).
Estimate € 11.000 - 12.000
The introspective power of portraiture finds expression in two works of exquisite finesse: “Self-Portrait with Red Ribbon” by Salomon Adler (lot 47, estimate € 8,000 - 12,000), in which a soft chiaroscuro and Northern precision create a suspended, secretive atmosphere inspired by the lessons of Dutch masters such as Rembrandt; and “Portrait of a Young Woman” by Marco Benefial (lot 106, estimate € 7,000 - 9,000), whose measured classicism captures the elegance of a proto-Baroque tradition reinterpreted with harmony and restraint.
Lot 47
Salomon Adler, "Self-portrait with red ribbon", oil on canvas (cm 124x95).
Estimate € 8.000 - 12.000
Lot 106
Marco Benefial, "Portrait of a young woman", oil on canvas (cm 101,5x75).
Estimate € 7.000 - 9.000
Finally, a touch of delicate lightness is found in “Cupids in Flight” by Giandomenico Tiepolo (lot 605, estimate € 4,000 - 4,500). Executed in brown ink and light watercolour, the lively, poetic line transports the viewer to a world where light dances and every small gesture tells a story of festivity and play.
Lot 605
Giandomenico Tiepolo, "Cupids in flight", pen with brown ink, brown wash (mm 180x260).
Estimate € 4.000 - 4.500