# Alessandro Magnasco artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/alessandro-magnasco/
Profile generated: 2026-05-16T23:01:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1667-02-04
- Death date: 1749-03-12
- Nationality: Italian
- Movements: Late Baroque
- Common media: oil on canvas, drawing

## About Alessandro Magnasco

Alessandro Magnasco (1667–1749), known as il Lissandrino, was an Italian painter and draftsperson active in Genoa and Milan during the late Baroque period. Born in Genoa to the painter Stefano Magnasco, he trained in the Genoese tradition before establishing his career in Milan, where he spent much of his productive life before returning to his native city. Magnasco is recognized for a highly individual style marked by rapid, fragmented brushstrokes, dramatic contrasts of light and shadow, and elongated figures set within atmospheric landscapes or architectural interiors. His subject matter ranged from genre scenes depicting monks, bandits, and peasants to phantasmagoric landscapes and religious compositions. Unlike the polished classicism of many of his contemporaries, Magnasco's nervous, gestural approach anticipates later Romantic and expressionist sensibilities and distinguishes his work within the Italian Baroque tradition.

## Common works and media

Magnasco commonly produced oil paintings on canvas depicting genre scenes—such as monks in monastic interiors, bandits in rugged landscapes, and gatherings of peasants or soldiers—as well as phantasmagoric landscape compositions. He also created religious and allegorical scenes and executed drawings in pen, ink, and wash. His figures are typically elongated and animated, set against dark, atmospheric backgrounds with darting highlights. Works are found in both small cabinet-size formats and larger compositions. Attributed workshop pieces and copies by followers also appear frequently in the market.

## Market and appraisal context

Magnasco's works appear on the market primarily as Old Master paintings and drawings at major international auction houses. Key factors influencing appraisal include confirmed attribution versus workshop or follower origin, as his distinctive style was widely imitated; condition, given his characteristically thin, rapid brushwork; subject matter, with genre scenes and landscapes generally commanding stronger interest; and documented provenance. Drawings by Magnasco also circulate and can hold significant value. Collectors should seek expert connoisseurship and published catalogue references, as attribution questions are common in the Magnasco corpus.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine identity research from museum, library-authority, and scholarly sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Alessandro Magnasco, biographical data is drawn from the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, Getty ULAN, VIAF, and Wikidata authority files, supplemented by art-historical context from encyclopedic sources.

## Sources

- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/51970
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q516941
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/62343833/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500015104
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nr87000716
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alessandro_Magnasco