Paolo Farinati

Anonymous sale, New York, Doyle's, 26 January 2000, Lot 84A (as Felice Brusasorci);

Where acquired by the late collector.

Paintings on Stone: Science and the Sacred 1530-1800, exhibition catalogue, J. Mann (ed.), Munich and St. Louis 2020, p. 156, 156 note 6, under cat. no. 32.

This beautiful Harrowing of Hell is a quintessential example of Paolo Farinati’s rare cabinet sized oil paintings on stone. Only 19 small scale works on stone listed in Farinati’s original account book, where they are referred to as “palangozin”. Working on slate, the Farinati here exploits the medium to add prominence to the figures, thrown into relief against the dark background and architecture. Using a strong, acid toned palette, he highlights the figures’ drapery with shimmering touches of white in a manner reminiscent of Paolo Veronese and typically favoring line over color, he creates a strong chiaroscuro effect.

Small scale paintings on slate enjoyed great popularity in Verona from the 1580s. This type of stone was specific to a quarry nearby the town and was utilized by many local artists, distinct from a different type of slate which was used by nearby Genoese artists. As exemplified in this dramatic hell scene, the dark, hard stone, allowed artists to depict nighttime or subterranean subjects with great technical originality.

At least four versions of this specific composition are known by Farinati, a strong suggestion that it enjoyed great popularity among the collecting community in Verona. Two examples are in private collections, a third is in the Galleria Brera in Milan, and a fourth is in the Museo di Castelvecchio in Verona. Farinati’s aforementioned account book lists three of these versions, all made circa 1593 for Veronese monasteries, allowing for a similar dating of the present work.