Francesco Solimena Canale di Serino 1657 - 1747 Barra

These canvases are bozzetti for Solimena's frescoes in the sacristy of the church of San Paolo Maggiore in Naples (the former is published by F. Bologna, Francesco Solimena, Naples 1958, p. 264, reproduced fig. 82). The frescoes that formed part of the decorative scheme were executed by the artist in 1689-90 and were amongst Solimena's most admired works. They were much copied, particularly by the French, and Fragonard produced a number of drawings after them, which were later engraved for Saint-Non's Voyage Pittoresque. Apart from the sketch for the scene illustrating The Fall of Simon Magus (Le Havre, Musée des Beaux-Arts; published by Bologna, op. cit., fig. 76) no other bozzetti were hitherto known for the project, despite De' Dominici mentioning numerous sketches and drawings: "i professori si han portato oltra i monti disegni, e bozzetti di sì bell'opera, e massimamente in Germania, in Francia e in Inghilterra" (B. De' Dominici, Vite de' Pittori, Scultori, ed Architetti Napoletani, Naples 1742, vol. III, p. 586).

The iconography of the figures in these canvases is not entirely clear, though they appear to represent Virtues and seem to have been described as such by De' Dominici ("in esse son dipinte Virtù esemplari, accompagnati da bei puttini, ed Angioletti graziosissimi"), though this may refer to the figures on the vault of the sacristy. In one Temperance holds a pitcher, Prudence a snake and mirror, and Fortitude wears armour; in the other a cornucopia, dove and bundle may be symbols of Peace, Concord and Fortune. Other pendentives show Faith, Hope and Charity as well as other virtues, tentatively identified as The Gifts of the Holy Spirit (reproduced in ibid., figs. 78 and 80, and more recently by N. Spinosa, Pittura napoletana del Settecento dal Barocco al Rococò, Naples 1986, vol. I, p. 179, figs. 5 and 6).

The attribution has been endorsed on the basis of colour transparencies by Prof. Nicola Spinosa, to whom we are grateful (private correspondance).