Saint Cecilia And Two Cherubs, Lucas De La Haye Called Luca Fiammingo (nivelles 1612-rome 1682)

Lucas de la Haye, called Luca Fiammingo (Nivelles, 1612-Rome, 1682)
Saint Cecilia and two cherubs

Oil on canvas
118 x 91 cm. -Framed 129 x 102 cm.

Expertise of Prof. Emilio Negro (Bologna)

This evocative painting, which we are delighted to exhibit to you, has Saint Cecilia, the Roman noblewoman who later converted to Christianity and a very popular figure in the Baroque period as the patron saint of music, instrumentalists and singers, at the centre of the composition. She is depicted here as a splendid maiden dressed in regal robes, intent on playing a musical instrument watched over by angelic presences.

Beautiful and evocative is the detail of her upward gaze, irradiated by a mystical and divine light, since it is precisely through music that the Saint rises towards the divine.

With regard to the style characteristics, it should be noted that the painting in question belongs to a skilful master active in the mid 17th century, and precisely, on the basis of the use of warm, balanced hues to soften the chiaroscuro contrasts, of Tuscan or Roman matrix.

The skilful author must therefore be sought within the central Italian Baroque culture influenced by the decorative splendour of the great Giovanni Battista Gaulli known as Baciccio, and likewise by the classic reinterpretation of Raphael carried out in the first decades of the 17th century first by the Bolognese Guido Reni, and then in Rome by the talented Andrea Sacchi. The traits of some foreigners, also working in Rome in the same period, should not be ignored, among them the works of Simon Vouet.

This explains why in our canvas one perceives both the learned Bolognese culture of Reni, Francesco Albani and Domenichino, and the more evolved 17th century Roman pictorial narrative, derived from knowledge of the best works of Pietro da Cortona: the tendentially warm colours of this St. Cecilia and two cherubs anticipate the salon-like refinements that presage the transmontane baroque, that artistic current à la page so beloved by the cultured Roman aristocracy of the 17th century.

By delving into the details of the composition, it is easy to recognise in the painting the modus pingendi of the talented Lucas de la Haye, known as Fra Luca Fiammingo (Nivelles, 1612 - Rome, 1682), a master of refined skills active in Italy during the 17th century.

Being a Carmelite friar, his works were in great demand by his order, as well as by noblemen and wealthy merchants of the time;

To confirm the attribution proposed here, it is sufficient to compare our canvas with other works by Lucas de la Haye, such as the Assumption of the Virgin (1) and above all the Vision of St. Teresa of Avila (2), both in Montecompatri (Church of S. Silvestro) and Christ Crowned with Thorns (3) (Convent of S. Maria della Scala) and St. Teresa of Avila has the vision of the angel (4) (Church of S. Maria della Scala, Rome).

In the paintings listed here, like ours, the typical painting of the Flemish master emerges, imaginative and classicist, achieved with warm hues and flashes of light, yet ready to welcome Roman and Emilian influences with a casual ease.

(1) https://catalogo.beniculturali.it/detail/HistoricOrArtisticProperty/1200236918
(2) https://catalogo.beniculturali.it/detail/HistoricOrArtisticProperty/12002369203
(3) https://catalogo.cultura.gov.it/detail/HistoricOrArtisticProperty/12005154304
(4) https://catalogo.beniculturali.it/detail/HistoricOrArtisticProperty/1200225041

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The work is completed by a nice gilded frame and is sold with a certificate of authenticity and guarantee.

We take care of and organise the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers.

It is also possible to see the painting in the gallery in Riva del Garda, we will be glad to welcome you to show you our collection of works.

Contact us, without obligation, for any additional information.

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