Lot 1037 Dα

The present painting shows typical elements of the early Seicento Caravaggism, such as the strong chiaroscuro, with the stark illumination of the foreground against a dark background, vivid description of the human nature, from its beauty to the gritty elements, as well as a realistic and worldly representation of mythological and sacred themes.
Even when it can be easily ascribed to a precise cultural environment, it seems more difficult to find a definitive attribution for the work, as well as for other canvases identifiable as originating from the same hand. The Orpheus, or the Allegory of Music, already attributed to Filippo Vitale, closely relates to other two works with an almost identical composition. Both comparative pictures depict Saint John with the Lamb of God and both are in private hands (London, art market, 2010 and with Galleria Sarti, Paris). The London painting was catalogued as Tomaso Salini, whereas the Paris painting has been attributed to the Maestro di Baranello, a figure that Giovanni Papi outlined grouping works previously considered as part of the oeuvre of Tommaso Salini. For a more comprehensive discussion, see: Giovanni Papi: Il Maestro di Baranello, fra Salini e Napoli. In: Bulletin de l’association des historiens de l’Art italien, XVII (2011), pp. 10-23).
So far, it has not been possible to give a name to the Master, but from a stylistic analysis, it is common opinion that the painter had Neapolitan origins and was influenced by the art of Rome, where he was active in the first decades of the seventeenth century.