Giovanni Segala, Susanna and the Elders, 1700, Oil on Canvas

Details

Description

Giovanni Segala (Venice 1663 - Murano 1720)

Susanna and the Elders

oil on canvas
155 x 127 cm - framed … Read more Giovanni Segala (Venice 1663 - Murano 1720)

Susanna and the Elders

oil on canvas
155 x 127 cm - framed 174 x 146 cm.

This delightful, large-scale painting illustrates the story of Susanna, as told in the pages of the Old Testament (Daniel 13): the faithful wife of a rich Jew, she is harassed as she prepares to bathe in the garden of her palace by two vicious old judges who threaten to denounce her as an unfaithful woman unless she grants them her favors.

The woman refuses to give in to blackmail and faces trial for false accusations of adultery. On the verge of being stoned, she is saved by the prophet Daniel, whose intervention concealed divine intervention, which will expose the two old men's lies.

Here we see the moment when the two men appear behind the scantily clad young woman, in her pose of astonishment, as she tries to hide her nakedness with her arm and a white cloth, alluding to her purity.

The iconographic theme of "Susanna and the Elders," which apparently boasted moralistic intentions, became highly fashionable starting in the Baroque period for its obvious erotic overtones, duly masked by its biblical origins, and for its intrinsic exaltation of marital fidelity and chastity.

The depiction of a semi-nude Susanna was therefore often a pretext to satisfy patrons' desire for female nudes: here, the torsion of her body is beautiful, depicted as a naked yet innocent triumph of white and opulent flesh.

The painting is by the Venetian painter Giovanni Segala (Venice 1663–1720), considered one of the leading exponents of Venetian painting between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. with his light colors and elegantly calm painting style, featuring large, velvety surfaces, he was a precursor of early eighteenth-century Venetian painting: after an initial apprenticeship with Pietro Vecchia, his sources of inspiration were Antonio Bellucci and Gregorio Lazzarini.

By the late 1680s, he had achieved such fame and prestige that he was hired by the Marquises Von Platen to decorate Linden Castle in Hanover, Germany, creating several works now housed in the Historisches Museum in the same city.

The work's character, a perfect example of his style, allows us to place it in a late phase of his career, where he favored a delicate color palette based on light and luminous tones, as well as transparent hues and a soft luminosity.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The work being sold is beautifully framed and comes with a certificate of authenticity and guarantee. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



issues arising from misattribution See less