St John The Evangelist - Circle Carlo Maratta (1625 - 1713)

Pen, brown ink, highlights of brown and white gouache.
Our drawing is the representation of one of the twelve monumental statues of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. In 1702, Carlo Maratta was entrusted with the pictorial decoration of the cathedral by Pope Clement XI and Cardinal Benedetto Pamphili. He also made the sketches of the statues that will adorn the Lateran niches then empty. And this Saint John Evangelist will be carved by the friend of Maratta, Carlo Rusconi (1658 - 1728).

Provenance: A. Maggiori (Lugt 3005b) (late 18th century) inscription in ink on the reverse, Pier Giulio Breschi (Lugt 2079b) (1874 -1937) green ink stamp, Carlo Argentieri (Lugt 486b) (1891- Rome 1956) cachat in black ink, Francesco Molinari Pradelli (1911 - 1996) inscription in pencil on the back.

Presented under glass in an elegant carved and gilded wooden frame from the beginning of the 18th century.
Dimensions: 35.5 x 19.5 cm

Carlo Maratta or Maratti (Camerano, Ancona, 1625 - Rome 1713) enters the workshop of Andrea Sacchi at a very young age, from which he will not be detached until 1661 (when he died latest). Trained in the study of the works of Raphael and Carraccio, he adheres to the classical trend of late Roman Baroque. Protected by Alexander VII, he worked mainly in Rome with a formal elegance. He produces large altar paintings (Visitation, 1656, Santa Maria della Pace, Death of St. Francis Xavier, 1679, Church of Jesus, Glory of St. Ambrose and St. Charles, 1685-90, San Carlo al Corso ), strong portraits (Maria Maddalena Rospigliosi, Louvre, Andrea Sacchi, Prado, Cardinal Antonio Barberini, Rome, National Galleria). And important frescoes (Triumph of the Clemency, 1673, Rome, Palazzo Altieri, Birth of Benus 1680, Frascati, Villa Falconieri), which are characterized by their grandiose composition and harmonious chromatic arrangements.