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Dams Casa d'Aste

51 - St. Charles Borromeo administers Baptism Roman School, 18th …
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Estimate €10,000 - €20,000
Sale commission
Description
St. Charles Borromeo administers Baptism Roman School, 18th century oil on canvas 243 x 371 cm An important monumental canvas belonging to a pair of paintings of exceptional pictorial quality and imposing dimensions, referable to the Roman figurative culture of the 18th century and in particular to the milieu close to Marco Benefial, whose vigorous naturalism, strong expressive intensity and severe compositional construction it seems to share.The scene depicts a solemn sacramental episode in which a holy bishop, probably identifiable as St. Charles Borromeo, administers baptism to a young man kneeling by a precious baptismal font. Around the protagonist are gathered clerics, faithful and liturgical assistants, engaged in the celebration of the rite according to a theatrical but composed construction, typical of the great Roman religious painting of the 18th century. The light descending from above diagonally invests the officiating saint and the baptising person, accentuating the spiritual and sacramental significance of the scene. The monumentality of the figures, the quality of the drapery and the extraordinary physiognomic characterisation of the characters testify to a remarkable hand, up-to-date with the best Roman naturalistic tradition. The emotional rendering of the faces and gestures is particularly significant: the devotion of the young man being baptised, the participating attention of the bystanders and the authority of the bishop give the composition a strong narrative and spiritual intensity. The warm and deep colours, built on accords of reds, ochres and luminous whites, also contribute to creating a scene of great visual strength and liturgical solemnity.The exceptional size of the work, combined with the very high quality of the execution, suggest a commission of particular prestige, probably destined for an important ecclesiastical context or Roman convent. In fact, the monumental ambition of the canvas and the narrative complexity of the whole suggest a celebratory destination of a high representative level.
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About the sale Old Masters and 19th Century Paintings and Drawings
Auction location
Auction time 06/12/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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