Bernardo Strozzi (Italian, 1581-1644). Saint Matthew. Oil on canvas. 24-1/2 x 19-1/2 inches (62.2 x 49.5 cm). ...

Description

Bernardo Strozzi (Italian, 1581-1644)
Saint Matthew
Oil on canvas
24-1/2 x 19-1/2 inches (62.2 x 49.5 cm)

PROVENANCE:
Private collection, Michigan.

Bernardo Strozzi developed his bold manner of painting with broad sculptural brushwork and rich color through early exposure to the work of Peter Paul Rubens in his native Genoa. The present work, likely depicting the evangelist Saint Matthew shown in profile and pointing to himself while holding a book, belongs to a group of smaller scale paintings of bust-length saints and evangelists Strozzi produced in some quantity (see L. Mortari, Bernardo Strozzi, Rome, 1995, cat no. 174, Saint Bartholomew (Musée des Beaux-Arts, Tours); no. 175, Saint Bartholomew (Collection of Robert and Bertina Suida Manning, New York; no. 287, Saint Jerome (Palazzo Pitti, Florence); no. 288, Saint Jerome (Galleria dell'Accademia, Venice); and no. 289, Saint Jerome (Collection of Egidio Martini, Venice)). The presentation of Saint Matthew in this manner underscores a resemblance to Caravaggio's famous depiction of the subject in San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome, a work he may have encountered firsthand on a visit to Rome circa 1615.



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