Although the martyrdom of Saint Agatha is authenticated, and her veneration as a saint had spread beyond her native place even in antiquity, there is no reliable information concerning the details of her death. According to Jacobus de Voragine, Legenda Aurea of ca. 1288, having dedicated her virginity to God,[ fifteen-year-old Agatha, from a rich and noble family, rejected the amorous advances of the low-born Roman prefect Quintianus, who then persecuted her for her Christian faith. He sent Agatha to Aphrodisia, the keeper of a brothel. The madam finding her intractable, Quintianus sent for her, argued, threatened, and finally had her put in prison. Amongst the tortures she underwent was the cutting off of her breasts with pincers. After further dramatic confrontations with Quintianus, represented in a sequence of dialogues in her passio that document her fortitude and steadfast devotion, Saint Agatha was then sentenced to be burnt at the stake, but an earthquake saved her from that fate; instead, she was sent to prison where St. Peter the Apostle appeared to her and healed her wounds. Saint Agatha died in prison, according to the Legenda Aurea in "the year of our Lord two hundred and fifty-three in the time of Decius, the emperor of Rome." More on Saint Agatha of Sicily
Andrea
Vaccaro (baptised on 8 May 1604 – 18 January 1670) was an Italian painter of the Baroque
period. Vaccaro was in his time one of the most successful painters in Naples,
a city then under Spanish rule. Very successful and valued in his lifetime,
Vaccaro and his workshop produced many religious works for local patrons as
well as for export to Spanish religious orders and noble patrons. More on Andrea Vaccaro
Follower of Guido Reni
LOT AND HIS DAUGHTERS
oil on canvas
132 x 160 cm.; 52 x 63 in
Private Collection
Sold for 18,750 GBP in December 2016
Guido Reni (4 November
1575 – 18 August 1642) was an
Italian painter of high-Baroque style. Born in Bologna into a family of
musicians, Guido Reni was the son of Daniele Reni and Ginevra de’ Pozzi. As a
child of nine, he was apprenticed under the Bolognese studio of Denis Calvaert.
When Reni was about twenty years old he migrated to the rising rival studio,
named Accademia degli Incamminati (Academy of the "newly embarked",
or progressives), led by Lodovico Carracci. He went on to form the nucleus of a
prolific and successful school of Bolognese painters who followed Annibale
Carracci to Rome. Like many other Bolognese painters, Reni's painting was
thematic and eclectic in style. More on Guido Reni
Lot and His Daughters. Genesis 19:30-38
30 Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters lived in a cave. 31 One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man around here to give us children—as is the custom all over the earth. 32 Let’s get our father to drink wine and then sleep with him and preserve our family line through our father.”
33 That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and slept with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.
34 The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Last night I slept with my father. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and sleep with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” 35 So they got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went in and slept with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.
36 So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 37 The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab[a]; he is the father of the Moabites of today. 38 The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi[b]; he is the father of the Ammonites of today. More on Lot and His Daughters
Francesco Capella, called Daggiù, VENICE 1714 - 1784 BERGAMO
THE MADONNA AND CHILD
Oil on canvas
80.3 x 63.9 cm.; 31 5/8 x 28 1/8 in.
Private Collection
Sold for 6.250 GBP in Dec 2016
Francesco Capella (1714–1784), called Il Capella and Francesco Dagiu, was a scholar of Giovanni Battista Piazzetta. He was born in Venice, Italy. He painted history, and was chiefly employed for the churches at Bergamo, and by the state. One of his best pictures is 'St. George and the Dragon,' in the church of San Bonate. More on Francesco Capella
Studio of Carlo Maratta, CAMERANO 1625 - 1713 ROME
THE MADONNA AND CHILD WITH THE INFANT SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST, SAINT CECILIA AND AN ANGEL
Oil on canvas
129.5 x 107.5 cm.; 51 x 42 3/8 in
Private Collection
Sold for 13,125 GBP in Dec 2016
Saint Cecilia is the patroness of musicians. It is written that as the musicians
played at her wedding she "sang in her heart to the Lord". She is one
of seven women, excluding the Blessed Virgin, commemorated by name in the Canon
of the Mass.
According
to the story, despite her vow of virginity, she was forced by her parents to
marry a nobleman named Valerian. During the wedding, Cecilia sat apart singing
to God in her heart, and for that she was later declared the saint of
musicians. When the time came for her marriage to be consummated, Cecilia
told Valerian that she had an angel of the Lord watching over her who would
punish him if he dared to violate her virginity but who would love him if he
could respect her maidenhood. When Valerian asked to see the angel, Cecilia
replied that he would see the angel if he would go to the third milestone on
the Via Appia (the Appian Way) and be baptized by Pope Urbanus.] After his baptism, he found an angel standing by the side of Cecilia,
and crowning her with a chaplet of roses and lilies.
The martyrdom of Cecilia is said to have
followed that of Valerian and his brother by the prefect Turcius Almachius. The legend about Cecilia’s death says that after being struck three times on
the neck with a sword, she lived for three days, and asked the pope to convert
her home into a church. More on Saint Cecilia
John the Baptist, known as the prophet
Yahya in the Qur'an, was a Jewish itinerant preacher in the early first century
AD. John is revered as a major religious figure in Christianity, Islam, the
Bahá'í Faith, and Mandaeism. He is called a prophet by all of these traditions,
and honoured as a saint in many Christian traditions.
John used
baptism as the central sacrament of his messianic movement.[ Most scholars
agree that John baptized Jesus. Scholars generally believe Jesus was a follower
or disciple of John and several New Testament accounts report that some of
Jesus' early followers had previously been followers of John. John the Baptist
is also mentioned by the Jewish historian Josephus. Some scholars maintain that
John was influenced by the semi-ascetic Essenes, who expected an apocalypse and
practiced rituals corresponding strongly with baptism, although no direct
evidence substantiates this.
According to the New Testament, John anticipated a
messianic figure greater than himself, and Jesus was the one whose coming John
foretold. Christians commonly refer to John as the precursor or forerunner of
Jesus, since John announces Jesus' coming. John is also identified with the
prophet Elijah. More on John the Baptist
Studio of Carlo Maratta, CAMERANO 1625 - 1713 ROME was an Italian painter, the leading painter in Rome in the latter part of the 17th century. As the pupil of Andrea Sacchi he continued the tradition of the classical Grand Manner, based on Raphael, and he gained an international reputation particularly for his paintings of the Madonna and Child, which are reworkings of types established during the High Renaissance. The rhetorical splendour of his work is thoroughly in the Baroque idiom, however, and the numerous altarpieces he painted for Roman churches (many still in situ) give whole-hearted expression to the dogmas of the Counter-Reformation. Maratta was also an accomplished fresco painter, and the finest portraitist of the day in Rome. He had a large studio and his posthumous reputation suffered when the inferior works of his many pupils and imitators were confused with his own paintings. More on Carlo Maratta
Workshop of Robert Campin (Netherlandish, ca. 1375–1444 Tournai)
Annunciation Triptych (Merode Altarpiece), Date:ca. 1427–32
Oil on oak
Dimensions:Overall (open): 25 3/8 x 46 3/8 in. (64.5 x 117.8 cm) Central panel: 25 1/4 x 24 7/8 in. (64.1 x 63.2 cm) each wing: 25 3/8 x 10 3/4 in. (64.5 x 27.3 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Having just entered the room, the angel Gabriel is about to tell the Virgin Mary that she will be the mother of Jesus. The golden rays pouring in through the left oculus carry a miniature figure with a cross. On the right wing, Joseph, who is betrothed to the Virgin, works in his carpenter’s shop, drilling holes in a board. The mousetraps on the bench and in the shop window opening onto the street are thought to allude to references in the writings of Saint Augustine identifying the cross as the devil’s mousetrap. On the left wing, the kneeling donor appears to witness the central scene through the open door. His wife kneels behind him, and a town messenger stands at the garden gate. The owners would have purchased the triptych to use in private prayer. An image of Christ’s conception in an interior not unlike the one in which they lived also may have reinforced their hope for their own children.
Robert Campin (c. 1375 – 26 April 1444), now usually identified as the artist known as the Master of Flémalle, is usually considered the first great master of Flemish and Early Netherlandish painting. His identity and the attribution of the paintings in the "Campin group" has been a matter of controversy for decades. His life is relatively well documented for the period, but he did not sign his paintings, and none could be securely connected with him, whilst a corpus of work attached to the unidentified "Master of Flémalle".
By 1406 he was active in Tournai, in today's Belgium. His early work shows the influence of the International Gothic painters the Limbourg brothers (1385 – 1416) and Melchior Broederlam (c. 1350 – c.1409), but display a realistic observation than any earlier artists, which he achieved through innovations in the use of oil paints. He was successful in his lifetime, and the recipient of a number of civic commissions. Campin taught both Rogier van der Weyden and Jacques Daret. He was a contemporary of Jan van Eyck, they met in 1427. Campin's best known work is the Mérode Altarpiece, dated c 1425-28, now in New York. More on Robert Campin
Robert Campin (1375/1379–1444)
St Veronica, c. 1410
Oil on Canvas
Städel, Frankfurt am Main
Saint Veronica is known as the woman who offered a cloth to Jesus so He could wipe His face on the way to His crucifixion. The cloth is believed to exist today in the Vatican and is considered one of the most treasured relics of the Church.
Saint Veronica is not mentioned in the Bible, but is known to us by Catholic tradition and in the Sixth Station of the Cross, "Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus."
Legend states that as Christ was walking to Calvary, his face dripping with sweat and blood, Saint Veronica, a bystander, was moved with compassion. She approached Jesus and offered Him a cloth, likely her veil, which He accepted and used to wipe His face.
Robert Campin (1375/1379–1444), see above
Robert Campin, (1375/1379–1444)
The Marriage of Mary, c 1420
Grisaille, Oil on oak table
77 × 88 cm (30.3 × 34.6 in)
Prado Museum, Madrid
Two scenes are represented in this work. On the left, in a circular, Romanesque interior covered with a dome, we see The Miracle of the Flowered Staff, which designated Joseph as the husband of Mary. In the building´s stained-glass windows, capitals and tympana are scenes from the Old Testament that foreshadow or announce others from the New Testament, such as the sacrifice of Isaac, which prefigures the Redemption of Christ. On the right is a depiction of the betrothal of Mary and Joseph under a gothic portico, announcing the imminent arrival of the New Law. In this, one of his earliest works, Campin maintains the characteristic exoticism of the international style, combined with Flemish naturalism and the clear depiction of the quality of things. The figures of Saint Claire and Saint James the Elder are painted on the back in grisaille, in a sculptural manner. Attributed to Roger van der Weyden for some time, this panel entered El Escorial in 1584, arriving at the Prado Museum in 1839. More on this painting
The Marriage of the Virgin is the subject in Christian art depicting the marriage of the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. Unlike many other scenes in Life of the Virgin cycles (like the Nativity of Mary and Presentation of Mary), it is not a feast in the church calendar.
In art the subject could be covered in several different scenes, and the betrothal of Mary, with Joseph's blossoming rod, was often shown, despite its apocryphal origin. Wedding processions are also shown, especially in the Early Medieval period. More on The Marriage of the Virgin
The Golden Legend recounts how, when Mary was 14 and living in the Temple, the High Priest gathered all male descendants of David of marriageable age including Saint Joseph (though he was much older than the rest). The High Priest ordered them to each bring a rod; he that owned the rod which would bear flowers was divinely ordained to become Mary's husband. After the Holy Spirit descended as a dove and caused Joseph's rod to blossom, he and Mary were wed according to Jewish custom. More on The Golden Legend
Robert Campin (1375/1379–1444), see above
Master of Saint Augustine, (Netherlandish, ca. 1490)
Scenes from the Life of Saint Augustine of Hippo, Date:ca. 1490
Oil, gold, and silver on wood
54 1/4 x 59 in. (137.8 x 149.9 cm) gr. thickness: 3/8 in. (1 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
This painting was the central panel of a triptych dedicated to Saint Augustine (354–430), a Christian theologian so celebrated that he is sometimes called a Doctor of the Church. The composition is divided into five scenes: in the center, Saint Augustine is consecrated bishop of Hippo Regius, a Roman city in present-day Algeria; in the upper left, Saint Augustine is ordained as a priest; in the lower left, Saint Augustine preaches while his mother, Monica, anachronistically says the rosary, a prayer regimen of the late Middle Ages. At the upper right, Saint Augustine converses with a boy who says that filling a hole in the sand with the sea is no more difficult than explaining the Trinity; and in the lower right, Saint Augustine preaches. In the windows behind the altar at the right are kneeling figures of a man and woman, along with coats of arms. Might these be clues to the original place for which the altarpiece was created, or are they pure inventions? Of particular interest in this panel are the detailed and richly depicted varieties of ecclesiastical vestments and altar implements, many examples of which are similar to works displayed in the Cloisters’ Treasury. More on this painting
St. Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 354 - 430) was an Algerian-Roman philosopher and theologian of the late Roman / early Medieval) period. He is one of the most important early figures in the development of Western Christianity, and was a major figure in bringing Christianity to dominance in the previously pagan Roman Empire. He is often considered the father of orthodox theology and the greatest of the four great fathers of the Latin Church (along with St. Ambrose, St. Jerome and St. Gregory).
Unlike the later Scholastics who took Aristotle as the classical model to be integrated into Christian thought, Augustine developed a philosophical and theological system which employed elements of Plato and Neo-Platonism in support of Christian orthodoxy. His many works profoundly influenced the medieval worldview. More on St. Augustine of Hippo
The Master of the Saint Augustine Altarpiece (sometimes called the Master of the Augustinians' Altarpiece) was a German painter, active in Nuremberg during the second half of the 15th century. His work indicates familiarity with the work of both Martin Schöngauer and the Master of the Housebook. More on The Master of the Saint Augustine
Lombard School, 17th Century
SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST
old inventory number brushed on reverse: 36
Oil on canvas
90.8 x 75 cm.; 35 3/4 x 29 1/2 in.
Private Collection
Sold for 500 GBP in Dec 2016
John the Evangelist is the name
traditionally given to the author of the Gospel of John. Christians have
traditionally identified him with John the Apostle, John of Patmos, and John
the Presbyter, though this has been disputed by modern scholars.
Christian tradition says that John the
Evangelist was John the Apostle. A historical figure, one of the
"pillars" of the Jerusalem church after Jesus' death. He was one of
the original twelve apostles and is thought to be the only one to have lived
into old age and not be killed for his faith. John is associated with the city
of Ephesus, where he is said to have lived and been buried. Some believe that
he was exiled (around 95 AD) to the Aegean island of Patmos, where he wrote the
Book of Revelation. More on John the Evangelist
He wrote to the seven Christian churches in Asia
to warn them of various challenges and temptations that confront them, which
have been revealed to him in a vision. He then relates several additional
powerful visions concerning the Last Days and the Second Coming of Christ. More on John the Evangelist
Lombard School; a school of
art in Northern Italy. Lombard architecture developed from the eighth to tenth
centuries. The establishment of Christianity as the Lombards’ official religion
fostered the rise of an independent school of architecture that played a
decisive role in the development of the Romanesque style in Italy.
Lombard trecento and early quattrocento painting, which developed
within the framework of the late, or international, Gothic style, is noted for
a delicate elegance of form and direct, poetic observations of the real world.
Pisanello played an important role in the development of Lombard quattrocento
painting.
In the second half of the 15th century, Florentine
art and the work of Mantegna particularly influenced Lombard painting. The
works of masters of this period were marked by plastic clarity of composition,
a softer palette, and an increased interest in chiaroscuro modeling. During the
High Renaissance the impact of Leonardo da Vinci was paramount, with his
Milanese pupils creating works permeated by contemplative and sentimental
moods. In the second quarter of the 16th century, the traditions of the Lombard
quattrocento combined with Venetian and northern influences, resulting in the
rise of the separate Brescian school. During the 16th century and the baroque
period, the inner unity of the Lombard school was lost. More Lombard School
Lombard School, 17th Century
CHRIST WASHING THE APOSTLES' FEET
Oil on canvas
195.5 x 291 cm.; 77 x 114 1/2 in.
Private Collection
Sold for 12,500 GBP in Dec 2016
At the Last Supper, on the night before Jesus knew that He was going to die. He was about to be betrayed by Judas, one of His own disciples. Jesus got up from the meal. He wrapped a towel around His waist. He poured water into a large bowl. Then He began to wash His disciples’ feet. He dried them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.
In those days, foot washing was needed in every home. The streets were dusty and dirty. Roads even had garbage and waste from the animals that traveled up and down the same streets.
The dinner-time custom was to lean back around the table at the evening meal. Usually, the lowest servant in the household was expected to wash the feet of guests. Having your guests’ feet washed was a way to show honor to your guests.
Since the last supper was held in a private home, with just Jesus and His disciples, we can easily see why there were no servants there. More on Last Supper
Lombard School, 17th Century, see above
Matteo Rosselli, FLORENCE 1578 - 1650
THE HOLY FAMILY WITH THE ANNUNCIATION TO THE SHEPHERDS IN THE DISTANCE
Oil on canvas
119.7 x 105 cm.; 47 1/8 x 39 1/2 in
Private Collection
Estimate for 30,000 - 40,000 GBP in Dec 2016
Matteo Rosselli (10 August 1578 – 18 January 1650) was an Italian painter of the late Florentine Counter-Mannerism and early Baroque. He is best known however for his highly populated grand-manner historical paintings. On 26 February 1599, he was inducted to the Accademia del Disegno, and in 1605 traveled to Rome to work with Domenico Passignano for six months.
He completed some frescoes on Lives of Servite Monks (1614–1618) in the Palazzo Pitti and in the Cloister of the Basilica della Santissima Annunziata; a Madonna and child with St Francis altarpiece for the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Florence; and an Adoration of the Magi (1607) for the Church of Sant'Andrea in Montevarchi. He painted a Crucifixion (1613) now in the parish church at Scarperia. He painted a Last Supper (1614) now in Conservatorio di San Pier Martire.
Upon the French monarch's death, he was commissioned two commemorative paintings of events in the life of Henry IV: his visit to Nantes and Gaudabec (1610). He also completed an Assumption (1613) for the church of San Domenico in Pistoia. He painted a number of frescoes for the Casa Buonarroti based on events of Michelangelo's life.
The largest collection of Rosselli drawings is contained within the Louvre Museum, Paris, with many being preliminary sketches for other works. More on Matteo Rosselli
Niccolò Tornioli, SIENA 1606 - 1651 ROME
THE HOLY FAMILY
Oil on canvas
133.9 x 96 cm.; 52 3/4 x 38 1/8 in.
Private Collection
Sold for 43,750 GBP in December 2016
Tornioli, whist known predominantly as painter of figurative religious scenes, is also known to have been a proficient painter of still lifes, a fact attested to by the inclusion of floral motifs in many of his mature works, and as seen in the scattered stems at the lower corner of this Holy Family.1 Ciampolini writes that this interest in the inclusion of floral still life elements may well have been a result Tornioli's endeavours to adopt the stylistic preferences of Roman patrons in preparation of his own move to Rome from Sienna in the 1640s. More on this painting
Niccolò Tornioli, SIENA 1606 - 1651 was an Italian painter. He was born in Siena in 1598 and was in Rome since 1633.
In 1640s he worked for Cardinal Bernardino Spada and his brother Virgilio Spada. Most of his preserved paintings are today in Galleria Spada in Rome.
He painted for the Spada chapel in the church of San Paolo in Bologna a Cain slaying Abel and a Jacob wrestling with Angel . More on Niccolò Tornioli
Follower of Bartolomeo Cavarozzi
THE SACRIFICE OF ISAAC
Oil on canvas
108.5 x 163 cm.; 42 3/4 x 64 1/8 in.
Private Collection
Sold for 8,750 GBP in Dec 2016
This painting was probably painted around 1617 by Bartolomeo Cavarozzi, one of Caravaggio's most successful and accomplished followers. Such are its quality and dramatic impact that for several years after its rediscovery in 1987 the painting was associated with Caravaggio himself and it has been exhibited as such numerous times in the recent past. More on this painting
According to the Bible, God commands Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. After Isaac is bound to an altar, the angel of God stops Abraham at the last minute, saying "now I know you fear God." At this point, Abraham sees a ram caught in some nearby bushes and sacrifices the ram instead of Isaac. More on THE SACRIFICE OF ISAAC
Bartolomeo Cavarozzi (15 February 1587 – 21 September 1625) was an Italian caravaggisti painter of the Baroque period active in Spain, alongside his master Giovanni Battista Crescenzi.
Bartolomeo was born at Viterbo, he traveled to Spain with his teacher to help paint and build the Pantheon at the Escorial. He adopted the style of Cristofano Roncalli. He painted a St Ursula and Her Companions with Pope Ciriacus and St Catherine of Alexandria (1608) for the Confraternità delle Sante Orsola e Caterina. He died in Rome.
Other sources attribute his training to Guercino, and indicate that he was active in the town of Viterbo, painting the Visitation (1622) for the Chapel of the Palazzo Pubblico, Saint Isidore for the Chiesa Collegiata di Sant'Angelo in Spata; a San Silvestro for the Church of the Confraternity of Jesus; a St Phillip Apostle for the Church of San Pietro del Castagno; a St Benedict for the lateral door of the Church of Monasterio della Duchessa; a Presentation at the Temple for the Church of the College of Doctors, and also painted a canvas for the Chapel of the Calabresi family in the church of Sant'Ignazio. A contemporary from Viterbo, Filippo Caparozzi, was a disciple of Giuseppe d'Arpino. More on Bartolomeo Cavarozzi
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