Description
Italian painter (18th century) – The Four Evangelists.
Group of four oils on wood, in wooden frames.
Group of four oils on panel, in wooden frames. The series comprises four half-length portraits of Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, each identified by their traditional iconographic attributes: Matthew accompanied by the angel, Mark holding a quill and book, Luke flanked by the head of the ox in the lower left, and John portrayed as a young man with the eagle in the lower right. The compositional approach — figures emerging from a dark background in the tradition of 17th-century luminism — points to the painterly culture of northern Italy in the 18th century. The brushwork is fluid and direct, with an effective rendering of the facial physiognomies and a consistently good level of execution. Works of this type were destined for private devotion and the decoration of domestic oratories or private chapels.
Condition report: Good state of conservation of the wooden support and pictorial surface. Signs of ageing and wear are present.
