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Lot Essay
Sassoferrato’s moving devotional works are characterized by their stunning palette and soft, almost ethereal modeling, leaving no question as to the divine nature of their subjects. Many of his most celebrated paintings are adaptions of the works of earlier masters: some, for instance, are based on works by Renaissance painters such as Raphael, while others look to later Bolognese artists including Guido Reni, Annibale Carracci, and Francesco Albani. The scope of Sassoferrato’s influences in fact extended beyond Italy—he is known to have produced paintings inspired by works by Joos van Cleve and Albrecht Dürer as well. By reworking these well-known compositions, Sassoferrato created some of the most effective religious imagery of the 17th century.
The excellent condition of the present work allows for a full appreciation of the artist’s talents: the bold, rich colors, thick application of paint, and careful articulation of the saint’s features create an image of remarkable presence. For the composition, Sassoferrato has adapted Timoteo Viti’s Saint Apollonia (fig. 1), which he undoubtedly would have seen in situ in the church of Santissima Trinità in Urbino (now Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, Urbino; see F. Macé de Lépinay, Revue de l’Art, n. 31, 1976, p. 47). The patron saint of dentists, Saint Apollonia was a virgin martyr from Alexandria who had her teeth pulled out and was burned at the stake for refusing to sacrifice to the pagan gods. Sassoferrato reworked Viti’s image so successfully that, in accordance with his usual practice, he ultimately produced numerous versions of the composition, examples of which can today be found in the Basilica of the Madonna della Misericordia in Macerata; the Musée Fabre in Montpellier; and the Abbey of Saint Peter in Perugia.
We are grateful to Dr. François Macé de Lépinay for confirming the attribution on the basis of a photograph.
The excellent condition of the present work allows for a full appreciation of the artist’s talents: the bold, rich colors, thick application of paint, and careful articulation of the saint’s features create an image of remarkable presence. For the composition, Sassoferrato has adapted Timoteo Viti’s Saint Apollonia (fig. 1), which he undoubtedly would have seen in situ in the church of Santissima Trinità in Urbino (now Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, Urbino; see F. Macé de Lépinay, Revue de l’Art, n. 31, 1976, p. 47). The patron saint of dentists, Saint Apollonia was a virgin martyr from Alexandria who had her teeth pulled out and was burned at the stake for refusing to sacrifice to the pagan gods. Sassoferrato reworked Viti’s image so successfully that, in accordance with his usual practice, he ultimately produced numerous versions of the composition, examples of which can today be found in the Basilica of the Madonna della Misericordia in Macerata; the Musée Fabre in Montpellier; and the Abbey of Saint Peter in Perugia.
We are grateful to Dr. François Macé de Lépinay for confirming the attribution on the basis of a photograph.