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Dams Casa d'Aste

28 - Alessandro Turchi, known as ‘the One-Eyed’ – Salome Receives…
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Estimate €20,000 - €40,000
Sale commission
Description
Alessandro Turchi, known as ‘the One-Eyed’ – Salome Receives the Head of St John the Baptist Oil on canvas, 143 x 224 cm The painting depicts the moment immediately following the beheading of St John the Baptist: the executioner, half-naked and vividly illuminated by the light, lifts the saint’s head to place it on the basin held by a young servant, whilst on the right, the richly dressed Salome watches the scene with an expression that is somewhere between surprise and involvement.The composition is structured as a tightly packed frieze of figures emerging from an almost completely dark background. The strong contrast in lighting focuses attention on the bodies and gestures, emphasising the theatrical nature of the episode. Particularly effective is the contrast between the executioner’s powerful physique, rendered through warm, oblique light, and the refined elegance of the female figures, characterised by smooth complexions, brightly coloured garments and measured gestures.The work displays characteristics fully attributable to the output of Alessandro Turchi, known as ‘l’Orbetto’, who trained in Verona under Felice Brusasorci and subsequently worked in Rome, where his painting assimilated the innovations of Caravaggesque naturalism, reconciling them with a persistent Venetian sensibility for colour and the classicist ideals of Roman culture.Typical of the artist are the dark background from which the figures seem to emerge, the sharp definition of the contours, the light, glazed skin tones of the female protagonists, and the use of intense colours. The construction of the figures through bold contrasts of light and the preference for biblical scenes of strong emotional tension are frequently found in the painter’s Roman works.The painting appears to date from the mature phase of Orbetto’s career, when the artist had by then developed a personal style capable of blending the Veronese pictorial tradition with the most contemporary artistic trends of early seventeenth-century Rome. Set in a contemporary frame.
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About the sale Paintings and Drawings from the 15th to the 19th century
Auction location
Auction time 10/29/2026 at 3:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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