Ventura di Arcangelo Salimbeni, called Bevilacqua

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Description

Ventura di Arcangelo Salimbeni, called Bevilacqua
The Descent into Limbo
Signed lower left: OPVS VENTURA SALIM
Oil on canvas

Provenance

Anonymous sale, New York, Sotheby’s, 27 January 2006, lot 312, as attributed to Francesco Vanni;

Whence acquired by the present owner.

Literature

M. Ciampolini, Pittori senesi del Seicento, Siena 2010, vol. II, p. 780, reproduced p. 640, figure 416.

Catalogue Note

This beautiful depiction of The Descent into Limbo is by Ventura di Arcangelo Salimbeni, one of the leading exponents of the late mannerist style practised in the artist’s native Siena during the late cinquecento and early seicento.

The painting first came to light when sold at auction in New York in 2006 (see under Provenance), at which time it was sold with a tentative attribution to Salimbeni’s half-brother Francesco Vanni. It was only during a subsequent cleaning to remove dense layers of dirt that the signature in the lower left corner of the canvas emerged and the painting was rightfully restored to the oeuvre of Salimbeni. Since then it has been published by Marco Ciampolini in his compendium on Sienese Seicento painting (see under Literature).

On stylistic grounds the painting appears to be consistent with works from Salimbeni’s maturity and can be dated in all probability to the first decade of the 17^th century. The distinctive palette of soft hues of pink, yellow and purples, reminiscent of the colouring of his fellow citizen Domenico Beccafumi, can be compared to the artist’s painting of Saint Michael overcoming Satan, signed and dated 1603, whilst the enduring influence of Cavalier Arpino can be detected in the figure types, notably that of Eve in the immediate left foreground of the scene.¹

The subject of The Descent into Limbo (or The Harrowing of Hell) was widely depicted during the Renaissance, but rarely from the end of the 16^th century onwards. The present scene shows Christ after his death having descended into Hell to liberate the souls of those that had died before the existence of the Christian sacraments and thus awaited His redemption. Christ is seen having broken down the doors of Hell and crushed Satan, holding the banner of the Resurrection. In the left foreground are the figures of Adam and Eve and to the right Christ offers redemption to a multitude of virtuous pagans, philosophers and heroes of Classical Antiquity. Salimbeni appears to have revelled in the artistic freedom afforded by the subject, plainly manifested in his infernal and satanic vision of Hell.

1. Offered New York, Sotheby’s, 23 January 2003, lot 23.