FRANCESCO GUARINO (ITALIAN 1611-1651)PORTRAIT OF A SAINT, PROBABLY CATHERINE OF ALEXANDRIAOil on canvas72 x 60cm (28¼ x 23½ in.)Provenance: Private Collection, Naples Sale, Dorotheum, Vienna, 23 October 2018, lot 196A quintessential example of Neapolitan painting, influenced by the chiaroscuro of Caravaggio and enriched by the realism of Jusepe de Ribera, this depiction - most likely of Saint Catherine of Alexandria - exemplifies Guarino's mature style from the 1640s. The dramatic interplay of thick, contrasting whites and blacks in the drapery is illuminated by a divine light from above, while the saint's pale features are enlivened by the delicate rose of her cheeks and the soft pastel tones of her robes. Francesco Guarino trained in the studio of his father, Giovanni Tommaso Guarino, in Solofra before moving to Naples, where he worked under Massimo Stanzione. In half-length female portraits such as this, Guarino responds to the influences of Stanzione and Bernardo Cavallino, developing a pictorial language marked by original compositional solutions and refined sensuality, typically conveyed through languid poses and a three-quarter turn of the figure.The present painting may be compared to other works by the artist, such as the Saint Barbara in a private collection (see R. Lattuada, Francesco Guarino da Solofra nella pittura napoletana del Seicento (1611-1651), Naples, 2000, pp. 186-188, no. E14).We are grateful to Professor Riccardo Lattuada for having previously identified the painting as the work of Francesco Guarino, after firsthand examination of the present work.
Oil on canvas