Antonio Balestra, 1666 Verona – 1740 ebenda, zugeschrieben

SUSANNA AND THE TWO OLD ONES Oil on canvas. Doubled. 115 x 140 cm. Framed. The subject of the painting is taken from the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament, according to which the chaste Susanna is harassed by two old men who are later convicted of the crime. In the center of the painting, Susanna sits at the edge of a well, half undressed for bathing, with only a white cloth and a blue cloth held in front of her chest with her left hand covering her delicate, fair-skinned body. She looks in shock at a man standing behind her in a noble robe and turban, who touches her with his left hand while presenting her with a valuable piece of jewelry with his outstretched right hand. On the right is another older, fully bearded man in a red and white robe and cloak, pointing. The lighting emphasizes Susanna's incarnation and the faces of the elderly. A popular motif in the depiction of scenes from the Old Testament. Balestra was a pupil of Antonio Bellucci (1654-1726) and later of Carlo Maratta (1625-1713), whose style also influenced his painting. In 1695, he founded his own school in his hometown of Verona. His students included Pietro Antonio Rotari (1707-1762), Gianbettino Cignaroli (1706-1770), Mattia Bortoloni (1696-1750) and Giovanni Giambattista Pittoni (1687-1767). His unmistakable style with softly modulated bodies in a mostly golden glowing incarnate is also clearly noticeable in the present painting. (14008522) (18) Antonio Balestra, 1666 Verona - 1740 ibid., attributed SUSANNA AND THE TWO ELDERS Oil on canvas. Relined. 115 x 140 cm.