LUCA GIORDANO (Naples, 1634 - 1705).
"Saint Mary Magdalene.
Oil on canvas.
Period frame.
Size: 78 x 60,5 cm; 76,5 x 94,5 cm (frame).
At the buyer's request, this lot can be enclosed with a copy of the certificate corresponding to the opinion nº80-177 signed by Mr. Gudiol on October 23, 1980, the original of which is in the Archives of the Institut Amatller. The present composition is undoubtedly the work of the great 17th century Neapolitan artist Luca Giordano, and can be related to the canvases of the same subject housed in the Museo del Prado, the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne and the Museo Soumaya in Mexico City. Formally, the painting is characterised by the economy of means used to achieve the expressive and luminous effect, by the chromatic synthesis and by the skilful anatomical modelling. Giordano was also influenced by José de Ribera, in whose workshop he trained during the early years of his career, and by the Caravaggesque style he learned during his time in the Eternal City. The present Magdalen is a faithful exponent of Giordano's painting and represents one of the most profusely worked themes of the period: Mary Magdalen in a dark grotto, with the crucifix (symbol of her loyalty to Christ), the prayer book (her link with God) and the Skull (symbol of the fleetingness of life). The saint's uncovered breast stands out, only partially covered by her very long blonde hair, and her eyes filled with tears as she claimed the truth of her repentance. This mode of representation (with the breast visible) was already used by Titian in his famous canvas in the Pitti Palace in Florence.
Luca Giordano was the foremost Neapolitan painter of the late 17th century and one of the leading representatives of the late Italian Baroque. A painter and engraver known in Spain as Lucas Jordán, Giordano enjoyed great popularity during his lifetime, both in his native Italy and in Spain. However, after his death his work was often criticised for its speed of execution, which was at odds with the Greco-Latin aesthetic. It is thought that he trained in the circle of Ribera, whose style he initially followed. However, he soon travelled to Rome and Venice, where he studied Veronese, whose influence is evident in his work. This trip was key to the maturing of his style, as were the influences of other artists such as Mattia Preti, Rubens, Bernini and, above all, Pietro da Cortona. In the late 1670s Giordano began his large-scale mural decorations (Montecassino and San Gregorio Armeno in Naples), followed from 1682 onwards by other projects, including the mural paintings in the gallery and library of the Palazzo Medici Ricardi in Florence. In 1692 he was called to Madrid to paint murals in the monastery of El Escorial, where he worked from 1692 to 1694. He then painted the office and bedroom of Charles II in the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, and after these he undertook the paintings of the Casón del Buen Retiro (ca. 1697), the sacristy of Toledo cathedral (1698), the royal chapel of the Alcázar and San Antonio de los Portugueses (1699). However, royal commissions ceased with the arrival of Philip V in 1701 and the beginning of the War of the Spanish Succession, and Giordano returned to Naples in 1702, although from there he continued to send paintings to Spain. Today Giordano's works are housed in the most important art galleries throughout the world, including the Prado, the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, the Louvre in Paris, the Kunsthistorisches in Vienna, the Metropolitan in New York and the National Gallery in London.