RICCI; SEBASTIANO
1659 Belluno - 1734 Venice - attributed

Jacob Wrestling with the Angel. Oil on canvas. Relined. 91 x 117;5cm. Framed.

The shining beauty of brushwork and the vivacity of color indicate that this beautiful unpublished painting must be attributed to Sebastiano Ricci; the great Venetian painter of the eighteenth century.
"Jacob Wrestling with the Angel" is a rather early work; in which the drawing is still compact and the contours are drawn with precision. The simple and clear composition sets this painting apart from his works from the eighteenth century which are characterized by a more mature Baroque. Hence this work can be dated in the time before 1700.
After an apprenticeship in Venice; around 1680 Ricci moved to Bologna; where he came into contact with Carlo Cignani; who introduced him to the Duke of Parma; Ranuccio II Farnese.
The large cycle of the Fasti Farnesiani (nineteen canvas now in Piacenza; Palazzo Farnese; 1687-1688) is certainly harsher; yet is a necessary precedent for our canvas. Shortly after (1691) Ricci was in Rome. The Roman period (even if short) was essential for the maturation of his style. The painting bears resemblance to works that have been dated into these years; such as Aeneas escapes from Troy (Ponce; Museo de Arte). Here the figures of the central group are turning with a similar spiraling motion of their bodies.
Four paintings in the National Gallery of Parma; depicting Lucrezia; Muzio Scaevola; and two scenes with Diogenes and Alessandro; show even closer resemblance in the arrangement. They are also focused on the relationship (sometimes violent; as in Lucretia) between two half-length figures that dominate the entire scene. The paintings of Parma are dated between 1691 and 1695: the later dating will also apply to the painting presented here.

1 L. Fornari Schianchi; Galleria Nazionale di Parma. Il Settecento; Parma 2000; pp. 12-13; 16-20; A. Scarpa; Sebastiano Ricci; Milano 2006; p. 274-275; with bibliography and a resume of formerly opinions about chronology.

Art trade; Van Ham.