"Heliodorus Driven from the Temple"
Orazio Talami (Bologna 1624-1708)
Oil on canvas
Period circa 1680
Baroque lacquered and gilded frame
Canvas dimensions 100 x 67 cm
Frame dimensions 80 x 114 cm
Excellent condition
This splendid painting illustrates the biblical episode of Heliodorus driven from the Temple (2 Maccabees, 3, 21-28).
He was sent by the king of Syria, Seleucus, to seize the treasure kept in the Temple of Jerusalem.
Upon the prayer of the high priest Onias, God sends a knight with two angels who strike and drive out Heliodorus.
The scene is full of agitated movement, and all the protagonists are engaged in striking or defending themselves with the utmost vigor.
The warm colors with bright tones are highlighted by a play of strong contrasts between light and shadow.
The marked chiaroscuro and the theatrical poses of the characters create an incredible three-dimensional effect, and the vivacity of the composition is truly remarkable.
The canvas is probably the prototype of the famous work located in the Duomo of Reggio Emilia that Talami painted in 1686 and which depicts the same scene arranged in reverse.
The works in circulation by this author are quite rare and appear very rarely on the market.
This important painting, in fact, in addition to being of the highest pictorial level, is of great historical-artistic interest and represents a valid document of Bolognese Baroque painting.
The painting is in excellent condition with an important gilded and lacquered frame carved in a high-relief spiral.
FIMA certificate of authenticity with detailed description of the work.
https://www.antichitaischia.it/it/prodotto/eliodoro-cacciato-dal-tempio
