ATTRIBUÉ À FRANCESCO SOLIMENA (SERINO, 1657 NAPLES, 1747)...

ATTRIBUÉ À FRANCESCO SOLIMENA (SERINO, 1657 NAPLES, 1747)
The Meal at Simon
Pierre's house, black pen and brown
ink wash 42,5 x 41,5 cm

We thank Davide Ambrosi for this attribution and the study of this drawing.
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This drawing depicts the Meal at Simon the Pharisee, one of the most lavish scenes from Luke's Gospel in the New Testament of the Bible. Jesus visits Simon the Pharisee and has his feet washed by a "sinful" woman, clearly shown in the lower left part of the drawing. This banquet scene naturally refers to the art of Veronese, who specialized in the genre.
The foreground, full of characters in full action, stands out against a background with a gaping hole towards the splendid 17th century palaces. The architecture of the Palazzo Maffei in Verona is also evident.
The viewer is drawn towards the centre and the background of the drawing by the upward movement of the slaves on the staircase, the large Corinthian columns supporting the ceiling from which the imposing Baroque curtains hang. The grandeur of the scene is reminiscent of Venetian tradition, but a closer look reveals, in style and features, a relationship with the drawings of the Neapolitan school, and in particular those of Francesco
Solimena. The tiling seems to indicate that this is a preparatory drawing for a larger fresco.
Solimena was a great master whose long life in Naples, which he never left, enabled him to work for the greatest courts in Europe.
His style was formed mainly through the study of the works of Luca Giordano, so that he was considered his worthy successor. Solimena based her reputation on her late Baroque style, magnified in great secular and religious compositions. These often depict scenes populated by people, with backgrounds reminiscent of Veronese dinners. A very convincing example is the Expulsion of Heliodorus from the temple or the Assumption of the Virgin.
The style of our drawing is also close to the other drawings of this artist, we find similarities in particular in the representation of the small characters around the table, and the description of their faces and clothes.
Solimena's legacy in the history of art is very important: we find her influence in the art of her students Corrado Giaquinto and Francesco de Mura. Automatically translated by DeepL. To see the original version, click here.