Alonso Cano, The Guardian Angel, 1650, Oil on Canvas

Details

Description

Alonso Cano
(Granada, 1601 – Granada, 1667)

The Guardian Angel (The Archangel Raphael Showing the Way to Tobias)

Oil on … Read more Alonso Cano
(Granada, 1601 – Granada, 1667)

The Guardian Angel (The Archangel Raphael Showing the Way to Tobias)

Oil on canvas (114 x 73 cm. - Framed 127 x 86 cm.)

The protagonist of our canvas is the Archangel Raphael, immortalized while protecting a child [1]: the meaning of this iconography, which became widespread especially between the 16th and 17th centuries, has taken on a broader meaning over time, eventually becoming the emblem of the guardian angel whose task is to protect every human being.

[1] In the 'Book of Tobit,' the angel Raphael was invoked by Tobit, a righteous and poor man, to accompany his son Tobias on a journey; Raphael showed Tobias the safest path and saved him more than once, without ever revealing himself as an angel until the very end.

The Angel is depicted here with the customary features of a young man with delicate features and a robe tight at the waist and punctuated by ample drapery. The young boy, innocently frightened, instead turns his eyes to the sky, where the light of divine grace appears through a rift in the clouds.

The stylistic and figurative characteristics of the painting evoke echoes of 17th-century Spanish painting, distinguished by its refined style, capable of combining the Baroque language, by definition sumptuous, with elements of classicist influence.

In particular, observing its iconographic characteristics and design features, we find a fitting resemblance to the style of Alonso Cano (1601–1667), one of the most versatile and influential figures of the Spanish Golden Age: his work marks the transition from tenebrist realism to a more idealized and classicizing Baroque style.

In particular, regarding the drawing, we can detect a clear derivation of our painting from an etching by Simone Cantarini (known as "il Pesarese"), entitled Guardian Angel, created around 1640,
which our artist must have studied and reworked (see: "Simone Cantarini il Pesarese" by Mario Mancigotti, 1975, Banca Popolare Pesarese, page 201, see image 1).

Simone Cantarini was one of the greatest engravers of the Italian 17th century, and his prints enjoyed widespread distribution throughout Europe in the 17th century, profoundly influencing devotional painting in Spain. His etchings circulated in Spanish artistic centers such as Madrid and Seville, where they were copied or "translated" into paintings to satisfy the demand for sacred images with a classicist flavor.

The influence of the Bolognese school on the Spanish Golden Age was profound, fueled by the circulation of prints that served as veritable "style manuals" for Iberian painters. Besides Alonso Cano, many other Spanish masters looked to Bolognese classicism.

Interestingly, while Cantarini's print is distinguished by the lightness of its lines and the influence of Guido Reni, our painting translates the model into a more sculptural and monumental form, with even primitive beams, typical of the Spanish Baroque.

Image 1 Guardian Angel, Simone Cantarini
c. 1640
from "Simone Cantarini il Pesarese" by Mario Mancigotti, 1975, Banca Popolare Pesarese, page 201

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The painting is sold complete with a beautiful gilded frame and comes with a certificate of authenticity and an iconographic. 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