Saints Petronius of Bologna and Bernardin of Siena, Gaetano Gandolfi
Gaetano Gandolfi
Saints Petronius of Bologna and Bernardin of Siena
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Gaetano Gandolfi

Saints Petronius of Bologna and Bernardin of Siena, ca. 1774


Dimensions
47.9 x 33.5 cm
Physical Description
Canvas
Inventory Number
1619
Acquisition
Acquired in 1920
Status
On display, 2nd upper level, Old Masters, room 14

Texts

About the Work

Gaetano Gandolfi and his brother Ubaldo belonged to the end of the great tradition of Baroque painting in Bologna, which had begun with the Carraccis in the late 16th century. Among Gaetano’s most impressive works are his oil sketches painted with loose, impasto brushstrokes. This painting, presented in the gallery for the first time after decades in storage, has recently been restored to reveal the brilliance of its technique and the luminosity of its colouring. This is a preparatory oil sketch for a privately owned altarpiece that Gandolfi created in 1774 for the Chapel of St. Petronius in the Villa Piedimonte in Bologna.

It shows the commissioner Petronio Giovanardi Rossi’s patron saint, Saint Petronius, the 5th century Bishop of Bologna. With a grand gesture he points to the basilica dedicated to him as well as the Garisenda and Asinelli towers, which still dominate today’s Bologna cityscape. Behind Petronius kneels Saint Bernardin of Siena, to whom an angel offers his attribute, a tablet with Christ’s monogram, IHS.

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Last update

15.11.2024