Pittore attivo a Roma nei primi del Seicento

Painter active in Rome in the early 17th century Susanna and the Elders oil on canvas 76 x 62 cm - with frame 92 x 78 cm. Artwork details (click HERE) This valuable painting illustrates the spicy episode, taken from the Old Testament (Daniel, XIII), in which the virtuous Susanna, the married daughter of a wealthy Jew, is surprised by two elderly men, recently elected as judges, while bathing in the garden of her palace. Upon her refusal to give in to the elders' desires, they will denounce her with false accusations of adultery, but in the end, their infamous lies will be exposed. In this work, the painter adheres to the typical Italian sixteenth-century figurative culture, where the male characters come from the opposite side of the young woman who, in her energetic and contorted attitude, expresses modesty and dramatic fear, representing the division between righteousness and iniquity. In the portrait, Susanna is wrapped in a draped white cloth, a symbol of her purity: she knows she has not committed adultery, but her face still illustrates the fear of not being believed. The iconographic theme of 'Susanna and the Elders', which apparently boasted moralistic intentions, became very fashionable during the Baroque period for its evident erotic implications, duly masked by its biblical origin, and for the intrinsic exaltation of marital fidelity and chastity. The representation of Susanna caught half-naked was therefore often a pretext to satisfy the patrons' desire for female nude subjects. The stylistic characteristics and the heartfelt classicism with which the scene is conceived denote the execution by a capable author active in Rome around the mid-seventeenth century. This historical moment, crucial for Italian painting, saw the papal city as a crossroads of extraordinary pictorial stimuli: on the one hand, the Lombard painters with a host of artists inspired by Caravaggesque naturalism, but also foreigners, Flemish, French, Spanish, such as Rubens, Poussin or Ribera, and on the other, the Bolognese classicist painters, first of all Annibale Carracci, but also Domenichino and Reni, continuers of the great tradition of Raphael. It is therefore difficult to formulate a precise attribution, considering this extremely prolific and heterogeneous cultural environment: the structure of the composition recalls, albeit revisited, an invention by Annibale Carracci (https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/stampe/schede/C0060-00345/), while if we focus on the individual figures, that of Susanna evokes the one conceived by Rubens (https://catalogo.beniculturali.it/detail/HistoricOrArtisticProperty/0800079030), while those of the two old men evoke the painting with the same subject by Guido Reni (https://catalogo.beniculturali.it/detail/HistoricOrArtisticProperty/0800079030). ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The work sold is completed by a pleasant gilded frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and guarantee. We take care of and organize the transport of purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers. It is also possible to see the painting in the gallery of Riva del Garda, we will be happy to welcome you to show you our collection of works. Contact us, without obligation, for any additional information. Follow us also on: INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/galleriacastelbarco/?hl=it FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/galleriacastelbarco/