Attributed to GIAOMO FARELLI (Rome, 1624 - Naples, 1706). "Saint Cecilia". Oil on canvas. Relined...

Attributed to GIAOMO FARELLI (Rome, 1624 - Naples, 1706). "Saint Cecilia". Oil on canvas. Relined of the nineteenth century.

Attributed to GIAOMO FARELLI (Rome, 1624 - Naples, 1706).
"Saint Cecilia".
Oil on canvas. Relined of the nineteenth century.
Presents repainting and frame ca. 1850.
Measures; 123 x 93 cm; 143 x 115 cm (frame).
Saint Cecilia of Rome was a Roman noblewoman converted to Christianity and martyred between the years 180 and 230 A.D., whose main documentation were the Acts of Saint Cecilia, dated in 480. In this text it is spoken of "órganis", word that was translated as organ (musical), being thus considered patroness of the music and often accompanied by this instrument, although in this concrete case she appears represented next to a violin.
For the technical characteristics the work can be inscribed in the artistic circle of Giacomo Farelli, who was trained in the field of literature in his native Rome, but soon moved to Naples to develop his pictorial training, as a disciple of Andrea Vaccaro. He entered the latter's workshop in 1644, and there he worked on numerous engravings, especially of nudes, reaching such a degree of imitation of the master that some of his early works have often been confused with Vaccaro's creations. Thus, Farelli evidences in his first paintings a profound influence of his master, although soon his artistic language will derive in a style closer to the classicism of Guido Reni and Domenichino. He would soon become one of the main exponents of Neapolitan Baroque classicism, and in fact on some occasions he worked alongside Francesco di Maria, the greatest representative of this school. His first documented works are "San Gennaro" and "The Massacre of the Innocents", made in 1651 for Cesare Zattara. From his juvenile stage onwards, references to the naturalism of M. Stanzione, F. Vitale and C. and F. Fracanzano can be seen in his work, influences that are added to those of Vaccaro and the unknown master of "Christ and the adulterous woman", which will appear on several occasions throughout his career. However, already in a work of 1652, the "Vision of St. Anthony" that he made for the church of Trinita dei Peregrini in Naples, we can appreciate a decrease of naturalism in favor of a chromatic sensitivity closer to that of Cesare Fracanzano, as well as a certain influence of the works that Stanzione made for the church of Santa Brigida. Shortly thereafter, between 1655 and 1656, he executed an altar painting entitled "Apparition of Christ and the Virgin to Saint Bridget" (Naples, Saint Bridget), a work with which he intended to rival Luca Giordano (who had painted the "Miracle of Saint Nicholas" for the same church in 1655), and through which it is evident that Farelli developed a personal and independent style, clearly identifiable. In this work we can appreciate his experience in Vaccaro's workshop and a stricter construction of the volumes. From this moment on, his language will evolve in the way of color, with sweet and soft tones, and will be characterized by a growing importance of classicism, which will modulate the naturalistic expressions of his beginnings. Particularly evident in his style will be the virtuosity of his drawing, with academic roots, as can be seen in the nudes of the "Allegory of the Arts" (National Museum of L'Aquila). Also during these years he gave more and more importance to the draperies, worked in a softer way, and his sensitivity to light was more pronounced, as we see in the "Vision of St. John the Evangelist", signed and dated 1661, made for the church of the same name in Sulmona. In this work, full of chromatic nuances, we see Farelli's advance in Giordano's direction. Already in his fresco decorations of the atrium of the sacristy of the Chapel of the Treasury of San Gennaro (1664) the master denotes a marked approach to the eminently classical manner of Domenichino, laying the foundations of what would become his mature style.