Giovan Battista Langetti (1635–1676), cerchia di

lot/giovan battista langetti 1635 1676 cerchia di san girolamo scrivente pKXNPbW 632987442 / For sale

lot/giovan battista langetti 1635 1676 cerchia di san girolamo scrivente pKXNPbW 632987442

For salePrice history

lot/giovan battista langetti 1635 1676 cerchia di san girolamo scrivente pKXNPbW 632987442

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Giovan Battista Langetti (1635–1676), cerchia di - San Girolamo scrivente

Ancient painting, oil on canvas, 17th century, depicting Saint Jerome writing. Important painting representing Saint Jerome at work in writing, shown in half-length and immersed in a deep, dark atmosphere. The saint, depicted with the torso bare and wrapped in a wide red mantle, is caught in the act of writing, with the pen in his hand and the large open volume before him. The figure emerges powerfully from the dark background thanks to an intense lateral illumination that highlights the face, the torso, the hands, and the pages of the book. The work stands out for its strong pictorial quality and for its naturalism of marked Ribera-like matrix, elements that lead directly to the setting of the so-called “Tenebrosi” Venetian painters of the second half of the Seicento and, in particular, to the circle of Giovan Battista Langetti, one of the main interpreters of this current. Particularly significant are the treatment of the flesh, built through warm and tactile passages of ochre, red and brown, the vigorous rendering of the beard and the wrinkles of the face, the monumental construction of the torso and the free, fleshy brushstroke. Also notably effective is the contrast between the intense red of the mantle and the almost completely black background, a lighting device recurrent in Langetti’s painting. The painting also shows a particular affinity with Saint Jerome works attributable to the Langetti circle for the combination of naturalism, monumentality of the figure, strong chiaroscuro, and intense psychological characterization. The literature on Langetti’s works itself highlights how the painter frequently uses figures of saints, penitents, and old sages built through a powerful, expressive language deeply indebted to the Ribera tradition. The comparison with documented works by Langetti is particularly interesting also for the rendering of the face and the anatomy, for the painterly matter of the beard, for the treatment of the pages of the volumes, and for the use of the mantle’s red as an emergent chromatic element from the darkness. It is also documented that in the artist’s corpus and his milieu there are several interpretations of the Saint Jerome theme, including works attributed directly to Langetti and others traced to his workshop, confirming the popularity of this subject within his circle. The painting is therefore prudently proposed as a work from the circle of Giovan Battista Langetti, without excluding a more direct relationship with the artist, to be explored through further comparisons with the master’s known corpus. The work is in overall good conservation state for its age, maintaining good legibility of the compositional layout and the painterly surface. Some restoration points, light abrasions, and localized reveals of the paint layer are visible, phenomena compatible with the age of the work and not compromising legibility or the quality of the painterly rendering. The surface presents a fine, diffuse craquelure, regular and coherent with the painting’s period. The painting is on a canvas that is a first-stretch canvas, not re-lined. On the verso are visible some repairs attributable to previous cuts of the canvas, interventions carried out during the conservation history of the piece. These repairs do not currently show particular structural criticalities. The work is mounted on a wooden frame apparently replaced and probably traceable to the 19th century. The frame shows some natural signs of time but currently maintains proper tautness of the canvas. Overall the work is structurally solid, aesthetically pleasing, and well preserved, while retaining the physiological traces of time that attest to its authenticity and conservation history. The work is presented in a 19th-century period frame, wooden with decorations applied in gilded stucco. The frame shows defects, losses, abrasions and previous restoration interventions, consistent with its age and the nature of the artifact. There are also some detachments and uplifting of the stucco decorative material, making the frame particularly delicate. It is expressly noted that, although maximum care is taken and all necessary precautions are adopted to ensure the best protection during transport, it cannot be excluded that, due to the inevitable stresses of handling and shipping, additional detachments of small flakes or fragments of the already weakened gilded stucco may occur. Such eventual detachments, being a feature and fragility already present and documented, cannot be considered damages occurring from packaging or transport. It is also included as a courtesy and does not constitute an integral part of the artwork; any damage to it will not give rise to claims or order cancellation. Dimensions of the painting: 92 x 71 cm - Dimensions of the frame: 114 x 93 cm The work is accompanied by a photographic certificate of authenticity, as required by current law. Shipped with insured express courier and packing carried out with the utmost care.

Estimate:$3,936.94

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