School Of Giulio Carpioni – Suzanne And The Elders, Oil On Paper, Venice, 17th Century

SCHOOL OF GIULIO CARPIONI (1613–1678)
SUSANNA AND THE ELDERS

Venetian School, 17th century
Oil on paper laid down on canvas
Dimensions: 64 × 54 cm

The choice of paper as a support, subsequently laid down on canvas, combined with the particularly careful treatment of certain passages, suggests that this painting may have been conceived as a bozzetto, a preparatory study intended for a larger composition.

The figure of Susanna is undoubtedly the most accomplished part of the work. Her body, modelled with dense, luminous whites, contrasts with the more translucent pigments used for the draperies. This interplay between the precision of the flesh tones and the freedom of the brushwork lends the composition remarkable pictorial vitality.

The figure of the elder depicted in profile also deserves particular attention. His strongly characterised features seem to reveal a familiarity with Northern European painting, whose models circulated widely in Venice and throughout the territories of the Venetian Republic.

These various influences, together with the expressive construction of the figures and the richness of the painterly effects, suggest that the artist should be sought within the artistic milieu of seventeenth-century Veneto, and more particularly in the school of Giulio Carpioni.

Beyond its biblical subject, this painting offers a particularly appealing testimony to artistic workshop practice, where the study of models, technical experimentation and the search for an expressive composition come together.