Although formerly attributed to Pietro Paolini, this striking portrait of a young man in armor, in the guise of Saint George, is consistent in handling and composition with the output of Angelo Caroselli, a self-taught artist whose enigmatic and eclectic style came under the influence of Caravaggio. The dramatic lighting and the strong chiaroscuro used in this canvas serve to highlight the direct expression of the warrior as well as his powerful pose. This figure in particular compares closely with that of the executioner in Caroselli’s Head of Saint John the Baptist in the Koelliker collection in Milan,¹ and in fact the artist may have even used the same model. Additionally, the figure’s dynamic pose in this work loosely parallels that found in Caroselli’s full length portrait of King Wenceslas in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.²

1. See. G. Papi, “L'enigma Caroselli,” in Artibus et Historiae, vol. 33, No. 65 (2012), pp. 134-135, reproduced fig. 7.

2. Inv. no. 1587, oil on canvas, 315 by 184 cm.