Girolamo Forabosco and Assistants, Oil on Canvas, Framed

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Oil on canvas. The painting depicts Jephthah and his daughter, two biblical characters from the Old Testament. The girl is … Read more Oil on canvas. The painting depicts Jephthah and his daughter, two biblical characters from the Old Testament. The girl is depicted in profile, dressed in the attire of a 17th-century Venetian lady: a low-cut dress, cinched at the waist with a golden belt and flowing sleeves; her blond hair is gathered and braided with strings of pearls; and she wears dangling earrings. with one hand, she raises a cloth to her face, drying her tears, while with the other, she holds her father's hand. Jephthah, on the other hand, wears armor, a heavy red cloak draped over his right arm, and appears to be pointing out of the painting; the suffering expression. The feelings expressed by the protagonists - desperation bordering on madness in the character in question, meek resignation in the weeping girl, who holds the man's hand as if to console him - illustrate well the tragic story of the warrior returned victorious but forced by a vow to sacrifice his own daughter. According to the analysis of the art historian Dr. Ludovica Trezzani, whose expertise is attached, the painting under examination constitutes a replica, varied in size and slightly close-up, of a composition by Girolamo Forabosco, which is also known by the title 'Medoro and Angelica', because the subject of the painting has always been sought within the context of Ariosto's poem. Dr. Trezzani retraces in her analysis the sequence of hypotheses that led to reading the work rather as an Old Testament subject. The expert defines the painting as 'precious in its material and skillful in many passages but not equally successful in others and therefore probably executed in Forabosco's workshop and partly with his direct intervention but with the broad responsibility of one or more assistants, as was the practice in the workshops of the time. The painting shows signs of previous restoration and relining. It is presented in a frame. 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