18th century English school - Lot 537

18th century English school Portrait of Pascal Paoli (1725 - 1807) Original rectangular canvas with oval view 53 x 43 cm Gilded wood frame, 18th century Roman work Provenance : - Kept in the Morati Gentile family since the 18th century. One of Paoli's nieces married a Morati. Pascal Paoli stayed at the Murato palazzo in Corsica. Pascal Paoli was born in 1725 in Genoese-occupied Corsica. Considered the father of the Corsican fatherland, he is recognized for his crucial role in establishing an independent, democratic Corsican state between 1755 and 1769. In 1769, Louis XV's more powerful army forced him into exile in London. In 1790, he was welcomed back to France as a hero by the Constituent Assembly. He died in London at the age of 81. There is a gap in the background, apparently caused by a bullet fired by one of Louis XV's soldiers, which has been restored. For further information on Paoli, please consult Oberti Pasquale de Paoli, as well as the catalog of the bicentenary exhibition bicentenary of Paoli's death in 2007 at the Musée de Corte.