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Attributed to ANTONIO DE BELLIS (active in Naples, 1630–1656) Saint LawrenceOil on canvas, 151 x 96 cm Notes: The work is set in a contemporary carved, gilded and black-lacquered wooden frame (defects) We present in this catalogue an interesting oil on canvas painting, originating from a noble Sicilian family, depicting Saint Lawrence, one of the most distinct and recognisable figures in sacred art, closely linked to his role as a deacon and to the martyrdom he suffered in 258 AD.As regards attribution, the work is fully in keeping with the finest Italian figurative tradition of the seventeenth century, revealing stylistic influences attributable to the school of central and southern Italy and, in particular, to the most refined examples of Neapolitan painting. The composition of the figure, together with the stylistic characteristics and a comparison with paintings depicting similar male figures, allows the work to be attributed – as local critics have prudently noted – to the circle of an artist endowed with an intense and expressive pictorial sensibility, akin to that of Bernardo Cavallino and Andrea Vaccaro, and active within the circle of Antonio De Bellis (Naples, 1630–1656). A painter of remarkable originality, De Bellis was one of the leading figures on the Neapolitan art scene in the mid-17th century and is today at the centre of a renewed and lively historiographical debate; his works are held in prestigious European museum collections.
ASTA N.12 Importante collezione di dipinti antichi e del XIX-XX secolo of 29/10/2026 17:00. Via dei Pastai 28
