MICHELE ANTONIO MILOCCO (Turin, 1690 – Turin, 1772), ELIJAH FED BY THE RAVENS AND THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST OIL ON GLASS, DIMENSIONS: CM H 51 X W 37 X D 9 PRICE: PRICE ON REQUEST ITEM ACCOMPANIED BY OUR CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY AND EXPERTISE (DOWNLOADABLE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE) This precious pair of paintings was created using oil paint on glass and is presented within Rococo-style mirrors, made of finely carved and gilded wood, dating back to the mid-18th century and made in Piedmont. The two paintings depict the biblical subjects of Elijah fed by the ravens and the Baptism of Christ, respectively, and stylistically can be attributed to the Turin painter Michele Antonio Milocco (Turin, 1690 – Turin, 1772), who, in his mature years, combined large-scale fresco decoration with more intimate production, intended for private devotion and noble interiors. The choice of glass as a support, with its very luminous and precious effect, fits well with the Rococo taste of the gilded frames, which frame the scenes like true wall treasures. The difficulty of painting on glass lies in the different fluidity of the brush on the smooth glass surface compared to canvas, and in the execution, which must be done in a mirror image and from the reverse. The painting is therefore protected by the glass itself, which is inserted into the frame. THE EPISODE OF ELIJAH FED BY THE RAVENS is narrated in the First Book of Kings, chapter 17, verses 1-7. After announcing a long drought to King Ahab, the prophet Elijah receives an order from God to take refuge by the torrent Cherith, east of the Jordan. God promises Elijah that he will drink water from the torrent and that ravens, by His command, will bring him food. The prophet obeys and settles by the torrent, where every day, morning and evening, he will receive bread and meat from the ravens. In the painting with Elijah, the painter emphasizes the moment of trusting suspension: the prophet, seated on a rock, in a red tunic and a light cloak that uncovers one shoulder, raises his arm towards the raven bringing him bread. The stylized mountainous landscape, with the solitary tree and the open sky, does not seek precise naturalism but an atmosphere of theatrical desert, functional to the narrative. Here, the mediation of an engraving source is clearly felt, finding comparisons with the print by Charles Grignion (1721–1810). Milocco interprets it through a softer line and using warm colors, with sharp contrasts, and adapting the model to the optical requirements of oil on glass. THE EPISODE OF THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST is narrated in the Synoptic Gospels of Mark (1:9-11), Matthew (3:13-17), and Luke (3:21-22). Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River, where John the Baptist was preaching the advent of the Kingdom of God and administering baptism for the remission of sins. As soon as he was baptized, as Jesus came out of the water, a manifestation of the Trinity occurred: the heavens opened, the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the form of a dove, and a voice from heaven was heard proclaiming: "You are my beloved Son: in you I am well pleased." This moment represents the public revelation of Jesus as the Son of God. In Milocco's painting, the inspiration from a model by Pierre Mignard is evident in the pyramidal composition of the scene: Christ in the center of the river, slightly leaning as if receiving water, Saint John on the bank with his cross-staff, the group of kneeling angels on the left, and, above, the celestial opening from which the dove of the Holy Spirit descends, enveloped in a cone of light. Pierre Mignard (Troyes 1612 – Paris 1695), a portraitist and history painter, was summoned to Paris in 1657 by Louis XIV, who had him work at Versailles and, upon Le Brun's death in 1690, appointed him First Painter to the King. In 1666, he painted, for the majestic high altar of the church of Saint-Jean-au-Marché in Troyes, where he had been baptized, a Baptism of Christ. In 1667-1668, Mignard created the frescoes for the walls of the baptistery chapel of the church of Saint-Eustache in Paris, the most noble and prestigious church in the capital. The painter decorated them with a copy of his first Baptism of Christ and with a Circumcision, as a pendant. These wall paintings were unfortunately destroyed around 1750 during the construction of a new portal for the church. However, like many famous works, the Parisian Baptism of Christ was widely reproduced by engravers, including the one proposed here, printed by Nicolas Bazin and chosen as a source by Milocco. The comparison between the painting from Troyes and the engravings shows the variations the painter made between the two versions: while the postures of John the Baptist on the bank and Jesus, with his feet in the Jordan, remain similar, the second angel in the second version waits with a white cloth to wrap Jesus when he comes out of the water. The groups of putti observing the scene, one of whom has been profoundly altered, are also inverted in the Paris painting. The work for Saint-Eustache is, precisely thanks to the diffusion of engravings, the source of numerous paintings, which contributed to the spread of this iconography according to this model, which achieved enormous success. Read together, the two subjects outline a theological journey that is not incidental. On one hand, Elijah, the prophet miraculously fed in the desert, an emblem of absolute trust in Providence; on the other, the Baptism, the threshold of new life in Christ, the moment when heaven opens and the divine voice recognizes the beloved Son. The thread that seems to unite the two panels is precisely the action of God: in the bread brought by the raven and in the water of the Jordan that cleanses and consecrates. In a domestic setting or a small chapel, for which the two paintings were likely intended, this pendant could support meditation on spiritual nourishment. From a stylistic point of view, the works, dating to the mid-18th century, show the quality of a sure hand: despite the limitations imposed by the format and the support, the painter controls the anatomy and drapery well, balances movement without excess, and maintains a certain elegance of line. Comparisons with the artistic production of Michele Antonio Milocco (Turin, 1690 – Turin, 1772) are significant. The painter is already known for a fresco in Asti, depicting the Baptism of Christ with a composition quite similar, created in collaboration with the Giovannini brothers for the trompe-l'oeil frames. For this painting too, he seems to have used Mignard's source, although there are more variations, with the addition of some inventive details, including God the Father, putti and cherubs, and a lamb. A canvas with a similar subject, dated around 1730, is known and preserved in the church of San Giovanni Battista in Racconigi (TO), in which Milocco again uses the same composition with further design freedom. Michele Antonio Milocco was one of the leading Piedmontese painters of the 18th century, active mainly for the Savoy court and for churches in the Turin and Moncalieri areas. The son of the court cook Carlo Vercellino, in the service of Prince Emanuele Filiberto Amedeo of Savoy-Carignano, Milocco grew up in the refined environment of the court, which facilitated his first contacts with the art world. From 1710 he was documented in Rome, where he attended the Academy of Saint Luke and won first prize in the Clementine Competition for the second class of painting, connecting with the classicist climate centered around Carlo Maratti. In 1719 he was still in Rome as a painter for Prince Doria Odescalchi, before permanently returning to Piedmont. Returning to Turin around 1720, Milocco soon obtained commissions related to the Savoy circle, working both in the royal residences and in important ecclesiastical projects. In 1729 he was prior of the Academy of Saint Luke in Turin, a position that testifies to the recognition of his leading role in the painting of the Kingdom of Sardinia, and which he would hold again in 1760. Between the third and sixth decades of the 18th century, he was engaged in works of various magnitudes for the court residences, sometimes completing projects directed by the first court painter, Claudio Francesco Beaumont. From 1740 he also worked for the Teatro Regio in Turin, decorating the royal box and the curtain in collaboration with Sebastiano Galeotti (replaced in 1756 by work from the brothers Bernardino, Fabrizio, and Giovanni Antonio Galliari). Numerous altarpieces documented and attributed to him are found in both the Turin and Cuneo areas. Milocco also distinguished himself as a fresco painter of great scope, active particularly in royal residences and churches in Turin, Asti, Moncalieri, and Piedmont. Among his most significant works are the frescoes for the church of San Carlo Borromeo in Turin (from 1732), the vault of the Cabinet at the Pregadio della Regina in the Royal Palace, and, above all, the decoration in the Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi, where he frescoes the king's chamber with a famous profane subject related to the myth of Diana. He was also active in numerous churches in the Moncalieri area (Annunciation, Holy Cross, Jesus, Santa Maria di Carpice), often in dialogue with quadratura painters, consolidating a late Baroque language updated to Rococo trends but rooted in Roman classicism. To meet varied commissions quickly, Milocco developed a consolidated repertoire of compositional solutions that he constantly replicated using the same cartoons, applying only minor variations. He is remembered for his presence in Asti from approximately 1731-33 for the frescoes in the chapel of St. Francis de Sales in the cathedral. Around 1750, he collaborated with the Giovannini brothers on the Annunciation, and in 1760 on the Trinity. Milocco married twice: first to Elisabetta Maria Martini (deceased after 1752) and on April 23, 1766, to the painter Anna Maria Pittetti, known as Palanca. He died in Turin on August 7, 1772. The works under study testify to a chapter of his "chamber" production, which demonstrates the circulation of French and English models in the Piedmontese context and the painter's ability, with effortless artistic skill, to translate them into refined devotional objects. The paintings are particularly decorative and pleasing, both for the luminosity and carving of the gilded frames and for the color palette used by the painter, which is saturated and vibrant. In good condition, it should be noted that the glass of the work depicting Saint Elijah has probably been enlarged to fit the frame profile and subsequently completed pictorially. CARLOTTA VENEGONI
Epoque : Première moitié du XVIIIème siècle