Two mythological scenes
Carlo Garofalo, late 17th C.
Glass panels painted on reverse in opaque and transparent pigments. In ebonised softwood frames veneered with tortoiseshell over gold leaf, H 32, W 42.5 cm.
These two reverse glass paintings are attributed to the Neapolitan artist Carlo Garofalo. Little is known about his life, not even his dates of birth and death. Thieme-Becker mention his employment in the studio of Luca Giordano (1634 - 1705), whom he survived by only a few years. He accompanied Giordano to Spain in 1692, he received commissions to decorate the royal apartments and he also painted mirrors and reverse glass paintings.
The two works presented here depict scenes from literature. The motif of Odysseus and the Sirens comes from Homer's Odyssey. The composition may be based on a painting by Gerard de Lairesse (1640/41 - 1711), but it also clearly shows the influence of Luca Giordano. The theme of Rinaldo and Armida is taken from the verse epic "La Gerusalemme liberata" by Torquato Tasso, written in 1575. Here, the composition of the painting of the same name by Luca Giordano (today in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lyon) could have served as a model, but Garofalo has reversed the image and developed it further.
Provenance
Auctioned by Sala de Ventas, Barcelona 2013.