Martyrdom of Franciscans in Nagasaki
1600s

About the Item

Oil on Canvas. The work is a faithful copy of the eponymous masterpiece by Tanzio da Varallo (1580-82 /1633), made by the painter from Valsesia for the Franciscan monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Varallo, and currently kept at the Brera Art Gallery. The painting depicts the martyrdom that occurred in 1597 in Nagasaki of twenty-three Franciscan friars, who were later beatified in 1627, a date that allows the work to be placed in the artist's final years. Tanzio da Varallo was probably inspired for his realization by the text "Life and exploits of the Martyrs of Japan" by Spanish Franciscan Marcello di Ribadeneira; of the Brera painting we know a partial preparatory drawing (kept at the Pinacoteca di Varallo), a sanguine drawing published by Testori (1964) and a canvas (from a private collection in Borgosesia)) published by Ferro. The replica proposed here is faithful to the original, even in size, which is smaller only by a few centimeters in height, probably lost during the re-processing of the work. Although this is a copy of remarkable quality, where in particular the richness of highlights that stand out against the warmer and darker tones of the flesh tones stands out, one notices in comparison with the original a lesser executive finesse, a tendency to simplification and a pathetic accentuation, which depose for the hand of a copyist concerned to reproduce the model in every detail, without granting himself any license. Such a copyist moreover seems to have been very familiar with Tanzio's style, to the point of perfectly imitating even his hooked hands. Thus, one can think of a pupil of Tanzio or his workshop (who upon his death of Tanzio was carried on by his brother Melchior), or to artist who saw and appreciated his works, which was for example, Pietro Francesco Gianoli, who worked mainly in churches in Valsesia and Novarese and whose other replicas of works by Tanzio da Varallo, such as the David with the head of Goliath, are known. Since, moreover, the 'work presented here, before being acquired by a private collector, remained placed for centuries at a Lombard Franciscan convent, it is plausible that it is a copy of Tanzio's commissioned by the Order same, for another monastery, by a painter who was stylistically close to Tanzio and he could look at the original. The painting has been retiled and restored. It is presented in late 19th-early 20th-century frame.

Creation Year:

1600s

Dimensions:

Height: 48.04 in (122 cm)Width: 37.8 in (96 cm)Depth: 2.37 in (6 cm)

Medium:

Oil

Circle Of:

Tanzio da Varallo (Alagna Valsesia, c. 1582 - Varallo, 1633) (1582 - 1633)

Period:

17th Century

Condition:

Gallery Location: