Felice Cignani (Bologna 1658 – Forlì 1724) The Miracle of Saint Francis of Paola

Felice Cignani (Bologna 1658 – Forlì 1724)

The miracle of Saint Francis of Paola

Oil on canvas (165 x 111 cm – Framed 182 x 129 cm.)

Work accompanied by an expert report by Prof. Emilio Negro

The proposed painting (oil on canvas, 166 x 114 cm) is well preserved and illustrates Saint Francis of Paola miraculously healing a young girl, brought before him by her parents, with the mother holding her sleeping little brother on her lap.

Originally from the Calabrian city from which he takes his name and who lived between the 15th and 16th centuries, Francis was a member of the Franciscan order, revered for his healing powers, whose motto was “Caritas,” which we find here in the inscription visible on the altarpiece at the end of the staff.

He was an important religious figure who died, whose fame became such that it crossed the borders of Italy and landed in France: on the orders of Pope Sixtus IV he went to France, to the bedside of King Louis XI, and although he was unable to cure the now ailing sovereign, he helped him to repent, to repair many abuses, and to settle pending issues with the Holy See.

From a stylistic point of view, as noted by Professor Emilio Negro in his study, we are in the presence of an interesting work executed by an artist active in Emilia between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, in whose manner it is easy to detect an awareness of Carlo Cignani's pictorial corpus, and therefore to be recognized as an artist in his workshop, in this case revealing a rereading of the pictorial texts of Guercino and Annibale Carracci.

Given these elements, it's likely that the hand of Felice Cignani (Bologna, 1658 – Forli, 1724) was identified. He was a painter of noble birth, as well as Carlo's son and pupil. He became a highly esteemed master himself, among the last followers of his father's glorious workshop, within which, as is well known, even the most demanding tasks were entrusted to the best disciples due to the numerous commissions. Thus, the students had the opportunity to collaborate effectively, learning the secrets of the profession directly from the workshop master.

The detail of the two figures in the background is beautiful, a mother with her child on her lap, which cannot help but evoke the beautiful Madonnas and Child so dear to the Cignani workshop.

To confirm the attribution proposed here, it will suffice to compare our St. Francis of Paola with other works by Felice Cignani executed in the late years of his maturity spent in Forlì, such as, for example, St. Gertrude (Forlì, church of S.Mercuriale, https://catalogo.cultura.gov.it/detail/HistoricOrArtisticProperty/0800033536 ); in this latter painting, like ours, the warm and highly contrasting luminosity typical of the Bolognese artist emerges. And also the altarpiece with St. Thomas Aquinas (Pinacoteca Civica “Melozzo degli Ambrogi”, Forlì, https://bbcc.regione.emilia-romagna.it/pater/loadcard.do?id_card=57988&force=1 ) and St. Philip Neri in adoration (https://bbcc.regione.emilia-romagna.it/pater/loadcard.do?id_card=58614 )

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The painting is sold complete with a pleasant frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet.

We take care of and organize the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers.

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