Ludovico Giminiani (1643-1697) - Adorazione dei Pastori

Ludovico Giminiani, (Rome, 1643 - Zagarolo, 1697) Adoration of the Shepherds Oil on copper, 26.7 x 35.3 cm The work will be accompanied by the critical note by Prof. Mari Pietrogiovanna The oil on copper under consideration depicts a lively group of shepherds and children gathered around the Virgin, who is shown unveiling the Child Jesus for the devotion of the onlookers. The atmosphere is made magical and suspended by a skillful play of light: a supernatural glow emanates directly from the Infant’s body, underscoring his divine nature, and echoes in the background where, in smaller scale, the episode of the Annunciation to the shepherds is narrated. Although the strong chiaroscuro contrasts may initially suggest an Emilian authorship — due to learned allusions to the Correggio tradition — the work is fully attributable to the Roman milieu of the late seventeenth century. The compositional structure, the insertion of the scene within architectural frames defined by fluted pilasters, the preference for a horizontal flow, and the use of a brilliant palette on a metallic support are, in fact, distinguishing elements of Ludovico Gimignani’s hand. Ludovico Gimignani (Rome, 1643 – 1697) represents one of the most emblematic and refined figures of late Roman Baroque, capable of bridging mid-Seicento rigid classicism toward more free and atmospheric formal solutions. A son of an artistic lineage, he began under his father Giacinto’s guidance but soon freed himself from paternal models thanks to the decisive influence of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who discerned his talent and protected him in major papal commissions, and to study of Giovan Battista Gaulli’s color innovations. Gimignani’s career unfolds through a prolific production that reaches its peak in grand altarpieces and decorative cycles in the Capital, where a chromatic sensibility influenced by late-century Neovenetism emerges. Among his youthful masterpieces stands out the canvas of Saint Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi (ca. 1670) in the church of Santa Maria in Montesanto, a work that already reveals that sweet pathos and that fluid handling learned from Gaulli. Under Bernini’s aegis, Ludovico participates in prestigious undertakings such as the decoration of the Altieri Chapel in San Francesco a Ripa, where he executes the altarpiece depicting the Holy Family with Saint Anne, and the complex construction site of San Silvestro in Capite. In the latter church, Gimignani reaches full expressive maturity with the evocative Baptism of Constantine and the decorations of the vault, characterized by a Baroque airiness that dialogue magistrally with the architectural structures. Equally significant is his activity for the Rospigliosi, for whom he produced refined easel paintings of mythological and religious subjects, such as the Rest During the Flight into Egypt, where the landscape takes on lyrical and soft tones. In the paintings for San Lorenzo in Lucina, including the Immaculate Conception, and in The Apparition of the Virgin to Saint Philip Neri in Santa Maria in Vallicella, Ludovico demonstrates the ability to translate the dogmas of the Counter-Reformation into images of immediate visual appeal, thanks to a brightened palette and a skilled use of chiaroscuro that makes him one of the undisputed protagonists of the post-Bernini Baroque era. Compared with certain works, such as Saint Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi Rescues an Exorcised Woman and the Miracle of Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi from the Lemme collection, this attribution is confirmed: here one finds the same spatial arrangement, the construction of face profiles in three-quarter view, and that elongated, vibrant brushstroke that lends his figures an almost pre- eighteenth-century elegance. The painting thus stands as a precious testimony to Gimignani’s ability to translate the theatrical language of the great Berninian Baroque into an intimate, precious, and exquisitely crafted dimension. The frame is provided as a gift, therefore it cannot be a reason for return or complaint. For paintings purchased abroad: after payment, the procedure to obtain the export license (ALC) will be started. All antique pieces sent abroad from Italy require this document, issued by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage. The procedure could take from 3 to 5 weeks from the request, so as soon as we have the document the painting will be shipped.

Estimación:€4,500

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