772 - Religious painter, John the Evangelist with scroll and chalice, after Domenichino, in ornate frame

Religious painter, John the Evangelist with scroll and chalice, after Domenichino, in ornate frame Oil on wood panel, unsigned, after Domenichino (Domenico Zampieri), John the Evangelist as a young man in half-length against a dark background, curly hair, gaze directed upwards, green robe and red-brown cloak, the left hand holds a scroll, the right touches an open book, behind the left arm his attribute, the cup with a writhing snake, condition commensurate with age, extensive retouches, restored crack in the wood upper left, image 34.5x27.5 cm (HxW), gold-coloured ornate frame with pierced acanthus foliage, frame width 16 cm Domenico Zampieri, called Domenichino (1581–1641), came from Bologna and was a pupil of Annibale Carracci. In 1602 he went to Rome, and from 1631 he worked in Naples on the painting of the Cappella del Tesoro di San Gennaro in the cathedral, where he died in 1641. His painting was oriented towards Raphael and the Carracci and followed a classical-idealistic ideal of beauty. John the Evangelist bears as attributes the eagle, book and writing implement. The chalice with the snake goes back to the legend according to which John was to drink poisoned wine in Ephesus and the poison escaped from the cup in the form of a snake; his feast day is 27 December.