Alberto Carlieri (1672 – after 1720), Solomon worships the idols

Alberto Carlieri (1672 – after 1720)

Solomon worships idols

Oil on canvas, 48,5 x 36 cm

The work in question, whose scene is identified as Solomon Worshipping the Idols, constitutes a near-unique example in Carlieri's compositional methodology. The iconographic subject draws inspiration from the First Book of Kings (11:4-8), describing King Solomon's sin of idolatry. The scene unfolds in the foreground, where a group of figures perform acts of veneration at an altar surmounted by a statue (the idol). The central figure, identifiable as Solomon by his prominent position and princely attire, is surrounded by women, symbolizing the wives who led him to apostasy. The action focuses on the offering and adoration, crucial moments that crystallize the narrative of the sin. The stylistic departure and compositional originality lie in the deliberate choice to replace the monumental architecture (a key feature of Carlieri's entire production) with an imposing landscape. Here, Carlieri fits into the tradition of the ideal landscape derived from masters active in Rome such as Claude Lorrain and Gaspard Dughet.

The treatment of the figures is similar, and in this context they become protagonists, transcending their role as mere background elements, as in his capricci. The figures are generally well-colored and clear, standing out against the backdrop of the landscape or classical ruins. Their clothing often features brightly colored drapes (such as red, yellow, or blue), while their faces are characterized by rosy cheeks and pointed noses. The statue depicted also represents a recurring typological element in the artist's work; this distinctive feature is frequently found in his compositions.

The work of Alberto Carlieri (1672-1720) reveals a fundamental pictorial innovation in Rome between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Born and culturally educated in the Roman environment, Carlieri established himself as the principal interpreter of a modern evolution of the quadraturist genre, transcending the seventeenth-century tradition to adopt a three-dimensional and rigorous conception of space. The critical definition of his artistic personality is largely due to the pioneering intuitions of Hermann Voss (1959), who isolated a catalogue of one hundred and forty-four of his paintings, and to the subsequent and precise biographical and stylistic reconstruction carried out by David Marshall (2004), who confirmed the early mentions of Carlieri in contemporary sources (Orlandi, 1719, and later). Introduced to capricci by Giuseppe de' Marchis, Carlieri perfected his art under the guidance of Andrea Pozzo, the author of the treatise De Perspectiva pictorum et architectorum, who influenced his methodology with a precise and design-oriented structural elaboration. Carlieri distinguished himself for his lucid orchestration of architectural interiors and exteriors, while maintaining a certain fidelity to the inventive approaches of Ghisolfi-Codazzi in his early phase, yet minimizing the ruinistic component compared to the solutions of Giovanni Ghisolfi. A prime example is the Palazzo Courtyard (Private Collection), which attests to his scientific application of scenographic backdrops borrowed directly from Pozzo's perspective drawings. It is precisely this clear constructional clarity that had previously led to confusion over his attribution with Giovanni Paolo Panini, for whom Carlieri is now recognized as a key precursor in works such as the Sacrifice of Calliroe. Starting with the signed and dated Achilles and the Daughters of Lycomedes, Voss and Marshall were able to trace a large body of works (such as the Flight into Egypt, Esther and Ahasuerus, the Judgment of Solomon, and several Classical Scenes) to Carlieri's brush. This work, previously lost or misattributed, confirms its importance through its documented presence in prestigious collections, including that of Filippo Colonna. The painting can be compared with the work Moses Saved from the Waters, in which we see the same treatment of the landscape and, especially, the clouds in the background, as well as the presence of a turreted city in the distance.

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