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Martyrdom of Saints Vitus and Modestus
Carlo Francesco Nuvolonearound 1635
Museo Diocesano Milano
Milano, Italy
Details
- Title: Martyrdom of Saints Vitus and Modestus
- Creator Lifespan: 1609 - 1662
- Creator Nationality: Italian
- Creator Gender: Male
- Creator Birth Place: Milan
- Date: around 1635
- Provenance: Archbishop's Picture Gallery
- Physical Dimensions: w237.5 x h370 cm
- Painter: Carlo Francesco Nuvolone
- Description: From the Archbishop’s Collections, this painting has been identified by recent studies as a version of the altarpiece of the church of San Vito al Pasquirolo, attributed to Nuvolone in the ancient city guides. After the suppression of the church in 1787, the altarpiece remained there until 1958, but it was never connected to this painting, which had already become part of the Archbishop’s Collections. Stylistic and iconographic motifs, supported by a valuable description of the work by Nicodemi (1956), made it possible to recognize that this painting was in fact the altarpiece, thus adding a valuable piece to our knowledge of the artist's early phase. This work is, in fact, dated to the middle of the fourth decade of the seventeenth century and reflects Nuvolone’s intense and refined rethinking of the work of Cerano and, above all, of Giulio Cesare Procaccini. The dramatic setting of the scene, clearly inspired by Cerano, is made even more impressive by the vibrant effects of the light, evident in the lightning flashes that pierce the black sky to reveal an imposing tower in the background. The figures, particularly those of the executioners, are outlined decisively and energetically. The stylistic elements, together with the influences of Solario, lead scholars to date the older versions to the beginning of the third decade of the sixteenth century. The figure of the villain, present here in the background on the right, does not appear in all versions of the work.
- Type: painting
- Rights: © Archivio fotografico Museo Diocesano, Milano
- Medium: Oil on canvas
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