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Lot Essay
In his monograph, Nicola Spinosa cites the copper support, diminutive scale, treatment of the facial features, and the clarity of light and color in favor of a date of execution in the late 1640s, when Cavallino was at the height of his powers (op. cit., p. 326). Given its small scale, it is possible that the painting was inset into a cabinet or prayer desk, and was presumably originally conceived as a set of four Evangelists.
Cavallino was one of the outstanding talents of the Neapolitan baroque, but relatively little information is known about his life and career. The artist’s preference for private rather than public commissions, and the existence of few signed works (only one of which is dated), has meant that he remains a largely enigmatic figure. Although Bernardo de' Dominici, the artist’s first biographer, noted that Massimo Stanzione was Cavallino’s only master, this view has been questioned by recent scholars, who have noted the early influences of Jusepe de Ribera, Stanzione, Aniello Falcone, and the equally elusive Master of the Annunciation to the Shepherds.
Cavallino was one of the outstanding talents of the Neapolitan baroque, but relatively little information is known about his life and career. The artist’s preference for private rather than public commissions, and the existence of few signed works (only one of which is dated), has meant that he remains a largely enigmatic figure. Although Bernardo de' Dominici, the artist’s first biographer, noted that Massimo Stanzione was Cavallino’s only master, this view has been questioned by recent scholars, who have noted the early influences of Jusepe de Ribera, Stanzione, Aniello Falcone, and the equally elusive Master of the Annunciation to the Shepherds.