1350 - PAOLO GEROLAMO PIOLA

PAOLO GEROLAMO PIOLA Salome with the Head of John the Baptist Oil on canvas, 133x103 cm Salome stands proudly against the dark background of this oval canvas; her head is adorned with feathers and precious stones; her blue gown is draped with a dark ochre cloth that sways as if stirred by a breath of wind. The expressiveness of the figure painted by Piola is remarkable, highlighted both by this dazzling color palette and by the dynamic movement of the drapery, as well as by the lady’s gestures, with that splendid hand painted in foreshortening dramatically drawing our attention. This masterful work by Paolo Gerolamo, dated by critics to the painter’s mature period, straddles the line between portraiture and allegorical painting, emphasizing the woman’s sensuality and her ability to obtain anything by leveraging her own beauty. Provenance: Private collection, Paris Galerie Canesso, Paris Private collection, Italy Bibliography: A. Toncini Cabella, “Genoa in the Early Eighteenth Century,” *Bollettino d’arte* no. 100, April–June 1997, p. 125, fig. 11 A. Toncini Cabella, Paolo Gerolamo Piola, Genoa, 2002, p. 67, fig. 90 V. Damian, An Unpublished Study by Tanzio da Varallo. Recent Acquisitions. Paris, 2003, pp. 38–39 A. Orlando, Flemish-Genoese Painting. Discoveries from Private Collections, Allemandi, Turin, 2012, p. 116. A. Orlando, Caravaggio and the Genoese, Genoa, 2019, plate 29 A. Orlando, Between the Sacred and the Profane, National Museum—Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, 2020, exhibition catalog P. Carofano, The Baroque and Noto, 2023, p. 43 Exhibitions: Galerie Canesso, An Unpublished Model by Tanzio da Varallo. Recent Acquisitions. Paris, Rue Rossini. 2003 Caravaggio and the Genoese, Genoa, Palazzo della Meridiana, February–June 2019 Between the Sacred and the Profane, National Museum—Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, 2020 The Baroque and Noto, Noto, Convitto delle Arti, April–October 2023