NAPLES, ITALY | RELIEF WITH THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION WITH SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST

Private Collection, France, until 2007

Dario Ghio, Monaco

This silver relief of large dimensions is a remarkable example of Neapolitan Baroque silverwork. The Virgin’s pose, inspired by paintings by Solimena, as well as the decoration on her mantle and the elaborate technique are typical of the highly refined workmanship of the period. Some parts, such as the Cherubs heads and the clouds, have been made with the repoussé technique, which means that the motif is hammered from the back to create a design in relief. The figures of the Virgin, Saint John and the eagle have been cast with the lost wax process and the entire surface has been finely chased. The relief has furthermore been gilt in some areas. Perfect mastery of these elaborate techniques has resulted in a work of great clarity of composition, richness of volumes and admirable decorative fantasy. The realism noticeable in the landscape and typical of the 17^th century is combined with a taste for elaborate decorative elements heralding the century to come. Moreover this silver relief is in a remarkable condition.

Such sacred scenes on silver reliefs are typical of the Neapolitan Baroque. Plaques and fonts were commissioned from silversmiths and often placed in highly elaborate metal frames. Pieces of metalwork from Naples were commissioned by private and religious patrons as the city’s major artists were celebrated for their remarkable skills and expertise (D’Agostino, op. cit.). The absence of silver-marks is common on Neapolitan silver, as the usage of marks was not regulated before 1690 and remained erratic even after this date.

Naples in the second half of the 17^th century was one of the largest cities in Europe and the capital of a Spanish viceroyalty. The Neapolitans had developed a devotion to the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, who was frequently represented in sculptures and paintings. The city furthermore was at the center of a dispute over the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, which holds that the Virgin Mary was conceived free from the taint of original sin.

A potential candidate for authorship is Aniello Treglia, a silversmith active in Naples in the second half of the seventeenth century. Treglia worked both with Giovan Domenico Vinaccia and Lorenzo Vaccaro.

RELATED LITERATURE

E. and C. Catello, Argenti napoletani dal XVI al XIX secolo, Naples, 1973;

P. D’Agostino, ‘Neapolitan metalwork in New York: Viceregal Patronage and the Theme of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception’, in Metropolitan Museum Journal, 2008, 43, pp. 117-130;

Ritorno al Barocco, da Caravaggio a Vanvitelli, Naples, 2009, vol. 2, pp. 131-132