NEAPOLITAN SCHOOL circa 1700

The Adoration; a pair of tondos

Oil on canvas laid down on panel: 31 x 28.5 cm. 12 1/4 x 11 1/4 in.

These beautiful treatments of the Nativity theme have a close affinity with the work of Francesco Solimena (Canale di Serino 1657 – Barra 1747), the chief Neapolitan painter of religious subjects during the second half of the seventeenth and first half of the eighteenth centuries. They include Solimena’s warm, brownish tonality, offset by brilliant reds and blues, and the drama of the strong chiaroscuro lighting. Possible candidates being researched are Francesco de Mura, Corrado Giaquinto and Sebastiano Conca