Carlo Preda, Solomon Sacrificing to the Idols, 17th-18th Century, Oil on Canvas

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Carlo Preda (Milan, Italy, 1651-1729)
Title: Solomon Sacrificing to the Idols
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: without frame 73 x … Read more Carlo Preda (Milan, Italy, 1651-1729)
Title: Solomon Sacrificing to the Idols
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: without frame 73 x 98 cm
Painting without frame and not signed

Expertise by Angelo Loda, art historian

Carlo Preda was an Italian painter. His first teacher was his uncle Federico Bianchi, and his first work was “Immacolata e santi” (Immaculate Conception and Saints) from 1680, preserved in San Giorgio al Palazzo (Milan). The influence of his uncle can be seen in his early works, which are characterised by an energetic and contrasting use of light.

Some colour ranges are also very typical of the artist: the iridescent pink in chiaroscuro tones of the figure with her back to the left, the orange-red of the figure crowning Solomon, the iridescent acid green with yellow tones of the dress of the bare-breasted woman in the foreground on the right, and the intense blue of the woman embracing the king in the centre of the scene, the painter's true signature. The way in which the folds of the garments are rendered in a soft and sinuous manner, with wide, flowing panels, is also entirely consistent with Preda's usual style, as are the delicate but intense chiaroscuro effects on the drapery and flesh tones. The iconography of the biblical episode reveals the idolatry of the old Jewish king, who in his old age was persuaded to worship idols. The painting depicts Solomon kneeling or bowing reverently before statues of foreign deities, while his wives, often young and beautiful, surround him. Usually depicted as an elderly man, Solomon is shown here with more youthful features, incensing a golden idol with a censer, surrounded by various female figures. See less