Lot 1049 | Pietro Novelli | John the Baptist with the Lamb of God

NOVELLI, PIETRO
('Il Monrealese')
1603 Monreale - 1647 Palermo

Title: John the Baptist with the Lamb of God.
Technique: Oil on canvas.
Mounting: Relined.
Measurement: 153 x 120cm.
Frame: Framed.

Provenance:
Maria Carolina Ferdinanda Luisa of Naples/Sicily Collection, then Duchess of Berry (19th April 1865);
Art market, USA;
Private ownership, Germany.

Along with Antonello da Messina, Pietro Novelli is considered the most important Sicilian artist of the old masters. In addition to his work as a painter, he was also active as an engraver, architect and military engineer.
Novelli was trained in his father's workshop in Monreale, Sicily, and was initially influenced by the local Mannerist painting of the late Mannerist period. After moving to Palermo, the young man turned his attention to the art of Van Dyck, who was staying in the city between 1622 and 1624 to carry out various commissions. Around 1633, Novelli was in Rome and finally in Naples, where he changed his stylistic language once again under the influence of the art scene dominated by Ribera and Massimo Stanzione. These influences led Novelli to develop his own personal style, characterised by a pronounced dark light and a sensual brushstroke reminiscent of Venetian painting, which he probably saw in Rome, but also reminiscent of the works of Van Dyck.
This painting, depicting the young Saint John the Baptist with the Lamb of God, is mentioned in the painting inventory from the 19th of April 1865 by Maria Carolina Ferdinanda Luisa delle Due Sicilie, Duchess of Berry by marriage, as 'Monrealèse: Saint-Jean assis, streichelnder Sohn mouton' (Monrealese: Saint John seated, caressing the lamb). This attribution was confirmed by Riccardo Lattuada, who states that it is an early work by the Sicilian artist.

We would like to thank Riccardo Lattuada, Naples, who confirmed the current attribution on the basis of a high-resolution digital photograph.