St. Francis - Workshop Of Domenico Piola (1628–1703)

"St. Francis"
Workshop of Domenico Piola (1628–1703)
Oil on canvas
Late 17th century
Canvas dimensions: 59 x 70 cm
Contemporary frame: 70 x 81
Excellent condition

The painting depicts the patron saint of Italy, dressed in a Franciscan habit, at the height of his ecstasy, as he beholds a group of angels flying above him in a halo of light.
The scene takes place outdoors in a wooded landscape, and St. Francis, at the center of the canvas, is kneeling with his arms outstretched, gazing in ecstasy toward the heavenly apparition.
The image’s distinctive painterly and chromatic characteristics, in addition to its splendid scenic composition, are typical of Genoese Baroque art.
The work is attributed to the renowned workshop of Master Domenico Piola, a leading figure in a prominent family of artists who left their mark on Baroque painting and sculpture in 17th-century Genoa, producing a significant body of work for both private and ecclesiastical clients.
In addition to the imposing altarpieces and frescoes in churches and palaces, as in the case of this painting, artists also created canvases that reproduced the major works and were suited to private devotion.

The painting is in excellent condition. It features a 19th-century stretcher and a recent application of protective varnish. The canvas shows no signs of restoration or overpainting. The beautiful gilded frame is still the original, with no restoration work performed on it.

Biographical Notes:
Domenico Piola (Genoa, 1628 – Genoa, April 8, 1703) was one of the leading figures of the Genoese Baroque.
Domenico was the brother of the painters Pellegro (1617–1640) and Giovanni Andrea, while his paternal uncles were Giovanni Gregorio and Pier Francesco, who were also painters.
He initially served as an apprentice in his brother Pellegro’s workshop; while still very young, he traveled to Rome to study the masters of the past.
Upon returning to Genoa, he befriended the leading Genoese artist of the time, Valerio Castello, and would go on to become his most accomplished successor.
He married Maddalena Virzi, with whom he had eight children: Anton Maria, Paolo Gerolamo, and Giovanni Battista, who followed in their father’s footsteps; Andrea, who became a monk; and three daughters, of whom Margherita married the painter Gregorio De Ferrari, and another married the sculptor Anton Domenico Parodi.[3]
The Piola family became the most important artistic center for painting and sculpture in the Ligurian capital.
While working with Valerio Castello on the extensive decoration of the halls of Palazzo Balbi Senarega, upon the latter’s sudden death (1659), he inherited his projects, becoming the head of the most renowned painting workshop in Genoa and the foremost exponent of Genoa’s grand decorative undertakings in the second half of the 17th century. The Doria, the Spinola, the Balbis, and all the city’s prominent families turned to his workshop to adorn their palaces with scenes of classical heroes, ancient emperors, and mystical allegories celebrating the virtues of the patrons, as well as for the major religious commissions for the city’s churches and convents.
He died at an advanced age in 1703, by then a celebrated master, still active in his workshop and on construction sites.

We issue a stamped and signed certificate of authenticity that guarantees the work’s period, provenance, and all its characteristics, drawn up by an antiquarian affiliated with FIMA (Italian Federation of Art Dealers).

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