Identify the Mystery Picture!
Tuesday July 10, 2007
Round 2
We all had so much fun with Kevin's mystery picture that reader Jamie has graciously offered to spice up our respective Julys. She and her family recently toured the Basilica of St. Louis, King in St. Louis, Missouri. (Please note that this is the "old" St. Louis Cathedral and not, as I thought at first glance, the "new" Cathedral, stuffed with fabulous mosaic murals and located across town.) In the course of their tour, Jamie and her family came across a large, unidentified painting.
Known:
We all had so much fun with Kevin's mystery picture that reader Jamie has graciously offered to spice up our respective Julys. She and her family recently toured the Basilica of St. Louis, King in St. Louis, Missouri. (Please note that this is the "old" St. Louis Cathedral and not, as I thought at first glance, the "new" Cathedral, stuffed with fabulous mosaic murals and located across town.) In the course of their tour, Jamie and her family came across a large, unidentified painting.
Known:
- It hangs in the choir loft of the Old Cathedral, a structure that was dedicated in 1834.
- It is large and has an ornate frame.
- There are four male figures disembarking from some form of a water vessel in the foreground, and several more figures present in a shadowy, background archway toward the right-hand side.
- The most senior male figure is holy, as he sports a halo.
- It depicts a religious story. (Sort of an "Uh-dur!" assumption, given where this painting hangs and the gent with the halo, but I have a talent for stating the obvious.)
- The name of the artist.
- The name of the painting.
- Its date of execution.
- Whether or not it is a reproduction.
Comments
The style of this painting is near the Italian Emiliana-Romagnola school of the XVII century.
It is near to Guercino’s style: the face of the old man, some colors.
But probably it is painted later, maybe in the XIX century. Anyway there are some little possibility that it is an original painting of XVII century, maybe from a follower of disciple of Guercino (maybe a Gennari, or a copy).
This is a copy of Christofano Allori’s Baroque masterpiece “The Hospitality of St Julian” which hangs in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, Italy. I haven’t a clue as to the date of this copy–but Monfro’s guess is probably plausible.
(From the one who submitted this painting for identification)
Marc D. and Monfro - How can we thank you enough? Excellent identification of this painting! We will share this information with the Old Cathedral staff. We are so grateful to have solved this “Mystery Picture”, and so quickly! Thanks again!