GIACINTO DIANO (italian 1730–1803) SCENE FROM THE LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT Oil on canvas 30 1/8 x 47 1/4 in. (76.5 x 120cm) provenance: Private Collection, Virginia. note: From the 1740s until his death in 1782, Francesco De Mura (1696-1782) was the most important artist in Naples. Giacinto Diano was educated in the 1750s in Francesco de Mura's studio. Along with Pietro Bardellino and Francesco Narici he ended the long and illustrious tradition of the 'Grande Decorazione' in Naples, which drew together the Baroque, the classical and the Rococo styles, and used the same colors, delicate pastel tones, and precious mother-of-pearl tones of the Italian masters. The works of Francesco de Mura and Giacinto Diano are often confused since Diano was the closest student to De Mura in his studio. A stunning series of images by Francesco de Mura of the Life of Saint Benedict is on the ceiling of the church of Santi Severino e Sossio in Naples, Italy. The present painting may be a bozzetto (oil study) for a much larger work. It was executed circa 1765, possibly for a church, and probably as part of a larger series. A comparable composition by Giacinto Diano, dated 1759 is at The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. We can also compare this work to Diano's oval bozetto of the Madonna and Child Appearing to Saint Dominic in Odessa, which may relate to the Boston bozetto, since both depict Saint Dominic. We wish to thank Mr. Arthur Blumenthal, Director Emeritus of the Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College and Curator of the 2016-17 exhibition on Francesco de Mura (the first ever on the artist), for his kind assistance in cataloguing the present lot.
GIACINTO DIANO (italian 1730–1803) SCENE FROM THE LIFE OF SAINT BENEDICT Oil on canvas 30 1/8 x 47 1/4 in. (76.5 x 120cm) provenance: Private Collection, Virginia. note: From the 1740s until his death in 1782, Francesco De Mura (1696-1782) was the most important artist in Naples. Giacinto Diano was educated in the 1750s in Francesco de Mura's studio. Along with Pietro Bardellino and Francesco Narici he ended the long and illustrious tradition of the 'Grande Decorazione' in Naples, which drew together the Baroque, the classical and the Rococo styles, and used the same colors, delicate pastel tones, and precious mother-of-pearl tones of the Italian masters. The works of Francesco de Mura and Giacinto Diano are often confused since Diano was the closest student to De Mura in his studio. A stunning series of images by Francesco de Mura of the Life of Saint Benedict is on the ceiling of the church of Santi Severino e Sossio in Naples, Italy. The present painting may be a bozzetto (oil study) for a much larger work. It was executed circa 1765, possibly for a church, and probably as part of a larger series. A comparable composition by Giacinto Diano, dated 1759 is at The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. We can also compare this work to Diano's oval bozetto of the Madonna and Child Appearing to Saint Dominic in Odessa, which may relate to the Boston bozetto, since both depict Saint Dominic. We wish to thank Mr. Arthur Blumenthal, Director Emeritus of the Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College and Curator of the 2016-17 exhibition on Francesco de Mura (the first ever on the artist), for his kind assistance in cataloguing the present lot.
Try LotSearch and its premium features for 7 days - without any costs!
Be notified automatically about new items in upcoming auctions.
Create an alert
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
