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Giovanni Stefano Danedi detto il Montalto
By Giovanni Stefano Danedi, known as Il Montalto

XVII Century

About the Item

Giovanni Stefano Danedi, known as Montalto (Treviglio, 1612 - Milan, 1690) Penitent magdalene Oil on panel, 34 x 45 cm Framed, 44 x 57 cm Provenance: Giancarlo Sestieri Collection This intense depiction of Magdalene is attributed to the hand of Giovanni Stefano Danedi, son of Giovanni Antonio and older brother of Joseph. Born in Treviglio in 1612, Giovanni Stefano Danedi is the most prominent member of a family of artists that includes, among others, his brother Giuseppe, older by three years and also known by the nickname Montalto, with whom he executed several works. His artistic training took place within the Milanese cultural fabric of those years, from which he drew the figurative influence of the greatest artists of the early 17th century: the Morazzone, Cerano, Giulio Cesare and Camillo Procaccini, and Carlo Francesco Nuvolone. In the Lamentation over Christ, now in the Museo di Castelvecchio in Verona, it becomes clear how his artistic beginnings are linked precisely to the influence of Morazzone and the youthful style of Francesco Cairo, evident especially in the canvases depicting Herodias with the Head of the Baptist (Milan, Civiche Raccolte d'arte del Castello Sforzesco) and the Miracle of the Mule (1645) in the basilica of Treviglio. Between 1641 and 1648 both brothers sojourned in Rome, where they got to know and appreciate new pictorial languages and suggestions, especially coming into contact with the works of Pietro da Cortona. Montalto thus updated his artistic language in a decidedly Baroque direction, as documented by the frescoes he executed that same year in the chancel of Monza Cathedral. He would adhere increasingly to the new Baroque language in later years, as shown, for example, in the frescoes of the sixth and seventh right chapels in the Certosa di Pavia (1671-1688) and the decoration of the seventeenth chapel and dome of the Sanctuary of Sacro Monte in Varallo. Much of Montalto's artistic production concerned sacred painting in Lombard territory; of no less importance, however, is his contribution to Baroque decoration of secular subjects in Lombard villas and palaces of illustrious families such as the Borromeo and Arese families. Therefore, the present elaboration of such an evocative and powerful subject as the penitent Magdalene in the desert, here conceived in an airy composition, is not surprising. As a solitary penitent in the desert, Magdalene achieved formidable fortune in the 1600s and is often found associated in pendant with Jerome, the other saint who retired to a hermit life. Both express the path of asceticism, the turning away from earthly pleasures and the sacrifice necessary for salvation. They are figures of redemption from the vanity of human life in view of eternity. This is the meaning of the skull, a symbol of death and redemption, which is located at the feet of Magdalene. Leaning against a raised boulder, Magdalene is covered in a yellow cloak, leaving her torso exposed. Behind him is a landscape reminiscent of the painter's wild openings and a little angel, the only other presence. The attribution of the small panel to the Lombard artist is confirmed by stylistic analysis, which leads to highlight the quality that is peculiar to him when compared with works such as Angelica and Medoro from the Gianfranco Luzzetti Collection Museum, Apollo and Marsyas and Dido Abandoned from the Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco. In the latter, the scenes, set outdoors in an untamed, wild landscape, are all developed on the left side of the often rectangular canvas. The chiaroscuro effects and the color tone made up of neutrals interspersed with the coloristic flickers of reds and yellows also clearly recall Montalto's production. Another comparison can be conducted with the figure of the angel that appears at the top of our painting. Angelic figures turn out to be a constant in Danedi's production, fleshy putti with playful faces framed by soft curls are present in works such as christ with the Symbols of the Passion from the Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco, Milan, the Multiplication of Loaves from the Monza Cathedral and the Flight into Egypt from the Milan Diocese Collection
  • Creator:
    Giovanni Stefano Danedi detto il Montalto (1612 - 1690, Italian)
  • Creation Year:
    XVII Century
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 13.39 in (34 cm)Width: 17.72 in (45 cm)
  • More Editions & Sizes:
    34x45Price: $6,366
  • Medium:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Milan, IT
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2639215787192

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