Follower of Alessandro Magnasco

Monks praying within a rocky seascape was a visual genre often depicted by the Lombard painter Alessandro Magnasco (1667-1749). A figurista, Magnasco specialized in depicting small figures set in expansive landscapes or architectural settings. Here, untamed nature provides an apt background for a group of three hermetic monks (two Carthusians in white and one Franciscan in dark brown). In seeming anguish, they are absorbed in devotional acts: one holds a crucifix, another reads an open volume. Magnasco enjoyed great success during his lifetime and many artists produced works painted in his style.