Antonio Marinetti, known as Chiozzotto (Chioggia, 22 January 1719 – Venice, 12 January 1796), Four Saints

Antonio Marinetti, known as Chiozzotto (Chioggia, 22 January 1719 – Venice, 12 January 1796)

Four Saints

(4) Oil on canvas applied on cardboard, 11 x 9 cm

With frame (1), 14 x 12,5 cm

Four small oil paintings, mounted on cardboard and conceived as a series of half-length figures, depict four saints from the apostolic circle, recognizable by the instruments of their martyrdom. The figure in the orange robe, clutching a knife, is Saint Bartholomew, flayed alive in Armenia; the man placing his hand on his chest and holding a sword is Saint Paul, beheaded in Rome and often associated with the Twelve in pictorial cycles, although he was not actually part of them; the man gazing upward, with clasped hands and a spear behind him, indicates Saint Thomas, pierced in Mylapore, India; finally, the serrated blade accompanying the fourth face, with its sorrowful expression, is the saw of Saint Simon the Zealot, whose martyrdom by being sawed is recorded in the Golden Legend.

They are part of the catalogue of Antonio Marinetti, known as Chiozzotto. Born in Chioggia in January 1719 and baptized in the parish of Sant'Andrea, he moved to Venice around the mid-1730s, where, according to his first biographer, Anton Maria Longhi, his father introduced him to the school of Giambattista Piazzetta. His ability to imitate the master's style soon earned him independent commissions, starting with works for the church of San Niccolò in Chioggia, which were moved to the church of Sant'Andrea during the Napoleonic plundering. Dedicated almost exclusively to sacred genres, with altarpieces and half-length figures of saints, Chiozzotto served a rather conservative clientele and did not significantly alter his artistic style over time. Compared to the Piazzetta model, the impetus is tempered by a marked pictorial simplification: the very accentuated chiaroscuro detaches the figures from the dark background, the movements are restrained and the expressions tend towards sentimentality, traits that are well recognizable in these saints with their shining eyes and complexions brightened by touches of rosy.

The closest comparison is with the Boy with an Apple from Ca' Rezzonico, which shares with our paintings the rendering of the faces, the thick brushwork on the robes, and the close-up of the figure. Equally useful are the two busts of saints, Saint Jerome and Saint Joseph, preserved in the Oratory of the Filippini in Chioggia, which offer a direct typological comparison in their half-length composition and the pathetic characterization of the figures. It should also be remembered that Piazzetta had conceived a series dedicated to the four evangelists, now known through the engravings of Marco Alvise Pitteri: it is likely that the younger student drew inspiration from them to conceive a series of isolated figures, intended to be observed as a whole.

Critics have varied in their judgment of this painter: praised by Longhi in 1762 and throughout the 19th century, Marinetti was partially rehabilitated by Donatella Tomasini in 1983, who recognized his considerable talent and a style that, while unoriginal, was consistent with the tastes of his time. In this sense, the group considered here well represents his small-format devotional production.

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