Count Lara, 1861 (oil on canvas)

Count Lara (Il conte Lara), by Domenico Morelli, 1861, 19th Century, oil on canvas, 74 x 98 cm Whole artwork view. Commissioned by collectionist David Vonwiller, the theme is inspired to Lord Byron's poem: Count Lara, actually pirat Conrad, sits thoughtful at a table covered with an ochre, damasked tablecloth, where are placed a book and a skull; silent, loyal page boy Kaled, actually beautiful Gulnara, looks at him; the two characters live a moment of immobility, thinking about memories as they would prefigure the tragic destiny which threatens them, and that will join them; the figures are painted with a strong theatricality and realism National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art-GNAM