Lazzaro Baldi, The Baptism of the Crowds

Lazzaro Baldi Pistoia 1624 - Rome 1703 The Baptism of the Crowds Oil on canvas, 82.5 x 132.5 cm An artist almost exclusively devoted to the vast surfaces of altarpieces (and frescoes), Lazzaro Baldi is very rarely encountered in the reduced format. And if we consider that what we possess of him in small format is mostly represented by preparatory models for altarpieces or canonization paintings (a genre to which the painter applied himself with singular passion), the appearance of an 'autonomous' room painting like the one exhibited on this occasion, moreover of excellent quality, takes on a significance that is anything but negligible. Certainly, regarding the subject matter, the new addition adds little to the range of themes frequented by the painter, who was careful, except in exceptional cases (1), not to cross the robust boundaries of the sacred genre. This, it is not difficult to understand, is a consequence of his very lively religious inclinations: the sources agree in testifying to the artist's devout spirit. What stands out about the new acquisition, however, are above all the beautiful pictorial qualities: the thickness of the material, the confidence of the touch. The decidedly 'colorful' intonation, still largely indebted to the maturity of Berrettini (a foundation never renounced by the Pistoiese artist), places our painting ahead of that conspicuous stylistic shift that takes shape at the turn of the seventh decade, and which materializes in a general chromatic shift - and lowering - (2). The solid, very well balanced articulation of the figures around the pivot constituted by a plethoric Baptist, posed in an almost neo-cinquecentesque contrapposto, then attests to Baldi's disposition for a measured manner that shuns excesses of compositional animosity. This trait marks the painter in the group of Cortonesque artists of the second generation, and which we could well call classicizing. A date around the mid-sixties of the seventeenth century, that is, in the vicinity of the beautiful altarpiece with the Rest on the Flight into Egypt in the Pistoiese church of the Madonna dell'Umiltà, seems the one that best suits our painting. All the objects that "L'ArabaFenice" offers on the market will be accompanied and enriched by a document that certifies authenticity, origin and above all the condition of the work, with photographic documentation before and after any restorations. If during the purchase phase it is deemed necessary to have further images and clarifications on the condition of the work, on any restoration costs and on transport, we are available by telephone and email for any questions and clarifications. We take care of and organize the packaging and shipping of the works you have purchased, using a serious and professional carrier: your object will travel accompanied by an insurance policy; we are able to ship all over the world, the objects will be packed using fireproof wooden crates, also suitable for air transport. We remain at your complete disposal. Massimo Bonino and his Staff.