Lot Details

Description

Luca Cambiaso

Moneglia, 1527 - San Lorenzo de El Escorial, 1585

Diana and Callisto

Oil on canvas

in 73,82x61,61

UNDER RESTORATION. The work, attributed to Luca Cambiaso by Emanuela Settimi (E. Settimi, entry in Cinque secoli di Pittura, exhibition catalogue edited by S. Rossi and C. Strinati, Laurina Arte, Rome, December 1987 - January 1988, p. 30), and whose attribution can be confirmed without hesitation, depicts a mythological episode represented by the artist at least twice elsewhere (Turin, Galleria Sabauda, no. 558 bis; and Kassel, Museum), dating to around the 1570s. A preparatory drawing for the present work is known (Edinburgh, Royal Scottish Academy), published by Wilhelm Suida and Bertina Suida Manning in 1958, at a time when the final oil version was still unknown (W. Suida and B. Suida Manning, Luca Cambiaso, New York 1958, p. 150; fig. 348). We are here in the presence of the most poetically mature phase of the Genoese painter, when his style becomes more personal, partially abandoning the Raphaelesque Emilian eclecticism (likely learned from Perin del Vaga, active in Genoa in the 1540s and possibly even his collaborator at Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome), which had formed the basis of his early manner. There still appears to be an interest in the inventive qualities of Pellegrino Tibaldi (particularly evident in his youthful works, such as the Adoration of the Magi, no. 555 bis, Galleria Sabauda, Turin, almost certainly executed before 1550). However, one can already discern the original experiments with light characteristic of his maturity research that deepens over time and leads, in his later years, to true nocturnes (such as the famous Christ before Caiaphas in Palazzo Bianco), which would profoundly influence Genoese painters of the following century. In Cambiaso’s mature works, the importance of drawing diminishes, while the brushwork becomes lighter and more fluid, and the color softens into a restrained palette of browns, muted greens, pale pinks, and whites. Light becomes increasingly prominent (Torriti, ibid., p. 218). Thus, between 1570 and 1580 parallel to similar developments in Cremona (the Campi family) Cambiaso can certainly be regarded as the most modern artist in Northern Italy. Although this modernity did not continue within the most fertile currents of Po Valley art, it opened the way to the great century of Genoese painting.

The painting is accompanied by:

Gilberto Zabert, Dipinti dal XV al XIX secolo. Sculture, mobili e oggetti da collezione, catalogue no. 23, 1988

Analysis by Thierry Radelet

Dimensions

in 73,82x61,61

Provenance

Zabert Galleria Dipinti Antichi

Private Collection, Turin

Private Collection, Brescia

Bibliography

Zabert Galleria Dipinti Antichi, Dipinti dal XV al XIX secolo. Sculture, mobili e oggetti da collezione, 1988, n. 9.

Fototeca Zeri, numero scheda 45.540. Diana e Callisto, tela cm 155x185. Autore: Cambiaso Luca. Datazione: sec. XVI, seconda metà. Estremi cronologici: 1570-1585.

Conditions

UNDER RESTORATION.

Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each product to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Coradi Rare Finds is merely a subjective opinion.