Cloud-Borne Saints above a Lake

c. 1695

Nicola Malinconico

Associated Names
Nicola Malinconico

Artist, Italian, 1663 - 1721

This is a drawing of a celestial scene with numerous figures on clouds. The image depicts a gathering of beings, all intricately detailed and set within a circular frame. The central area is bustling with figures draped in flowing robes, sitting and conversing on billowing clouds. Around the edges, cherub-like figures playfully interact. Below the clouds, a serene landscape with greenery and a waterway can be seen. The drawing employs delicate lines and shading to give a sense of dimension and movement. The central framing and the flourish of details lend an ornate and theatrical aspect to the artwork.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and brown ink with brown wash and traces of black chalk, on beige laid paper with three of the four corners made up

  • Credit Line

    Wolfgang Ratjen Collection, Patrons' Permanent Fund

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 49.6 x 39 cm (19 1/2 x 15 3/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2007.111.93

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Unidentified collector, Italy; Wolfgang Ratjen, Munich; purchased 2007 by NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2011

  • Italian Master Drawings from the Wolfgang Ratjen Collection, 1525-1835, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 2011, no. 41.

Bibliography

1990

  • Arbace, Luciana. "Luca Giordano disegnatore verso il 1675" Prospettiva 57-60 (1989-1990): 277. fig. 3 (as Luca Giordano).

1999

  • Scavizzi, Giuseppe. "Drawings by Artists in Giordano's Circle: Simonelli, Malinconico, and De Matteis." Master Drawings 37, no. 3 (Fall, 1999): 248, 252, 253, fig. 20, 260, note 42 (as Paolo de Matteis).

2001

  • Meyer, Joachim. "New Drawings by Luca Giordano and His Circle: Nicolò Russo, Baldassarre Farina, Nicola and Oronzo Malinconico." _Paragone_52, 3rd series, no. 39 (619) (September 2001): 93, note 14.

2003

  • Ferrari, Oreste, and Giusepppe Scavizzi. Luca Giordano, Nuove ricerche e inediti. Naples, 2003: 117, fig. 44 (as Paolo de Matteis?).

Inscriptions

verso, pen and brown ink, [indecipherable, but possibly] [?]randolfi Gengo[?] [followed by a paraphe?]

Watermarks

horse in a circle surmounted by a P

Wikidata ID

Q64618483

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