Carlo Francesco Nuolone (Milan, 1609 – 1662), The Apparition of the Angel to Hagar and Ishmael

Carlo Francesco Nuolone (Milan, 1609 – 1662)

The appearance of the angel to Hagar and Ishmael

Oil on canvas, 50 x 67 cm

This fascinating work, depicting the Apparition of the Angel to Hagar and Ishmael in the Desert, is an exemplary testimony to the refined mature production of Carlo Francesco Nuvolone, an undisputed protagonist of seventeenth-century Lombardy, often nicknamed by the critic Roberto Longhi (together with his brother Giuseppe) as the master of the “Blue Cloud” for his characteristic vaporous, soft and nuanced atmospheres. The episode, taken from the book of Genesis, shows Abraham's servant driven into the desert of Beersheba, now resigned to the tragic end of herself and of little Ishmael, visible in the background in a moment of abandonment and exhaustion next to a now completely empty one-eyed man. The sudden divine intervention is revealed through an angel with ephebic features, who pierces the darkness of the landscape, indicating with an eloquent gesture the source of saving water. The painting clearly reveals Nuvolone's stylistic transition, which, starting from the severe and dramatic models of early seventeenth-century Milan, marked by Giovan Battista Crespi known as Cerano and Giulio Cesare Procaccini, arrives at a noticeably more lyrical, elegant and sensual language, strongly influenced by Venetian colorism and, above all, by the influence of Anthony van Dyck and the Emilian softness of Guido Reni and Correggio. The figure of Hagar perfectly embodies the feminine ideal typical of Nuvolonian poetic universe, presenting herself as a young woman with generous curves, characterized by a mother-of-pearl and velvety complexion, cheeks flushed by restrained emotion, a prominent neck, full lips with a characteristic well-shaped upper lip and languid eyes turned towards the celestial messenger. The sensuality of the exposed breast, balanced by the classicism of the drapes of the red-orange dress, creates a vibrant emotional counterpoint that dialogues admirably with the figure of the angel. The latter soars from above, wrapped in a whirlwind of clouds and light drapes that almost seem to melt into the atmosphere, guided by a theatrical yet graceful gesture, marked by the characteristic elongation of the fingers that gives the hands an extraordinary expressiveness. Carlo Francesco, son of the painter Panfilo and his wife Isabella, was born between 1608 and 1609 in Milan, the city where he lived throughout his life. Having left his father Panfilo's workshop, where he surpassed his brother in technical expertise, the artist soon threw himself into the study of the works of the greatest Lombard artists, namely Cerano – whom he met while attending the painting school of the Accademia Ambrosiana directed by him – Giulio Cesare Procaccini, Morazzone and Daniele Crespi. He drew from these a lively figurative feeling, overcoming the Borromean mannerism when the Manzonian plague struck in 1630, and with it the Counter-Reformation panorama was overturned. Confirmation of Nuvolone's early artistic phase is the Pietà and Saints in the collegiate church of Bormio, executed between 1631 and 1634. Already in the altarpiece for the church of Santa Marta in Milan, however, a clearer compositional resolution is assumed, more sensitive to the light of the flesh tones. The painter's total adherence to the Baroque spirit is also manifested in the unique characteristics of his works intended for private collectors. In particular, around 1640, a marked preference developed for the representation of profane scenes, inspired not only by mythology, but also by key texts of sixteenth-century literature, such as “Il Pastor Fido” by Giovan Battista Guarini. Through female figures in languid poses and theatrical gestures, a series of sensual and melodramatic paintings emerges, which effectively testify to the changing tastes of Milanese collectors of the time, now far from the rigorous choices promoted during the Borromean period. The theme of Hagar and the angel was, in fact, particularly dear to Carlo Francesco Nuvolone and his workshop, who replicated it in various variations intended for private devotion and important decorative cycles. One of the most famous and closest compositional variants to the artist's mature period is the Hagar in the Desert Comforted by an Angel, now in the Pinacoteca di Brera, dated around 1648 and originally from the historic Arese collection. This painting is flanked by the very close, almost overlapping versions held in the prestigious Molinari Pradelli Collection in Castenaso and in various private collections in Milan. These versions feature the same monumental yet softened arrangement of the figures, the expressive use of the angel's arm outstretched to indicate the way, and Hagar's reclining face with her rapt gaze. The woman's unmistakable face, with its large, expressive eyes and small, delicate nose, is also reflected in a series of successful biblical and heroic female subjects painted by Nuvolone, such as the Jael and Sisera, recently sold on the antiques market, or his famous depictions of Charity and Dido, in which the rendering of the flesh displays that delicate, pearly tone that suddenly lights up on the cheeks and fingertips, a true stylistic signature of the master. The dynamics of the messenger angel closely follow the compositional schemes of the fresco of the same subject created by Carlo Francesco for the chapel of the Villa Arconati in Castellazzo di Bollate, in which the fluid and concise pictorial application of the draperies testifies to the extreme freedom of brushwork achieved by the artist in the central years of the 17th century, where the drawing happily submits to a vaporous and vibrant application of color.

The object is in good condition

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