Carlo Preda (Milan, c. 1651/52 – 1729), The Massacre of the Innocents

Carlo Preda (Milan, c. 1651/52 – 1729) The Massacre of the Innocents Oil on canvas, 120 x 150 cm With frame, 134 x 163 cm Critical Analysis by Prof. Alberto Crispo The painting depicts the dramatic biblical scene of the Massacre of the Innocents. The composition is characterized by a strong dynamic thrust in the foreground, where the desperate and hurried defense of the mothers unfolds as they attempt to protect their children from the blind violence of the soldiers. In the background, elevated on a balcony, the hieratic figure of Herod impassively watches the massacre take place. The work stands out for an interesting stylistic transition: while the exaggerated expressions of the faces and the pronounced chiaroscuro contrasts emphasize the inherent tragedy of the episode, the use of delicate pastel hues in the drapery of the robes marks a clear departure from the more austere 17th-century models, revealing a full and mature adherence to the nascent Rococo style. This specific stylistic signature finds strong confirmation in direct comparison with other documented works by the Milanese painter. Indeed, entirely overlapping physiognomies and the same chromatic and luministic approach are found both in the Miraculous Rescue of Pilgrims Traveling to Santiago de Compostela by Saint Dominic de Guzman ( sold at Bertolami in Rome on November 21, 2019, lot 52) and in the Holy Family from a private collection. A further and decisive formal correspondence emerges from the Education of the Virgin (appeared on the market at Il Ponte in October 2024, lot 242), in which the foreshortened face of the young Mary appears almost superimposed on that of the mother lying on the ground in the lower right of the present canvas. The painting fits perfectly into the biographical and professional trajectory of Carlo Preda, born in Milan between 1651 and 1652 to Andrea and Bianca Bianchi. His initial training took place within the family context under the guidance of his maternal uncle, the painter Federico Bianchi. His early style, initially linked to the models of Bianchi himself and Filippo Abbiati, would evolve over time thanks to a profound updating on the styles of late Genoese Baroque – particularly Domenico Piola, Bartolomeo Guidobono, and Gregorio De Ferrari – moving towards softer, more languid tones with a declared Correggio-esque derivation. His successful career and constant travel attest to his renown: around 1680, the Immaculate Conception and Saints for the Milanese church of San Giorgio al Palazzo dates from this period, followed in 1682 by the canvas for the sacristy of the Carmine in Pavia. In 1688, the year he was officially cited as a member of the Accademia di San Luca in Milan, the artist ideally moved towards Piedmont, painting the Assumption and Saints destined for Terruggia, followed in 1690 by the Communion of a Capuchin Prelate for the Civic Museum of Casale Monferrato. Returning permanently to Milanese workshops, by 1691 he delivered St. Charles Burning the Letter for the prestigious cycle of late canvases for the Duomo of Milan. The Stories of Saint Catherine for the Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco date back to 1694, as does the Virgin with Child and St. Paul, originally in San Vincenzo in Cremona and now in a Piacenza collection. Established as a leading figure in the Milanese art scene, in 1702 he was elected prince of the same Accademia di San Luca, while his works were regularly acquired by the most influential Lombard families of the time, such as the Carrara, the Clerici, the D'Adda, the Pertusati, and the Secco Borella. In 1708, Preda diversified his activity by frescoing The Rapture of St. Paul to the Third Heaven in the sacristy of San Barnaba in Milan and simultaneously creating an altarpiece for the Sanctuary of Caravaggio. In his mature years, he executed two large canvases for the cycle of the Sacred Nail of the Duomo of Milan (of which the Heraclius Prevented from Carrying the Cross remains) and progressively moved towards the Verbano and upper Novarese areas, painting Christ the Judge for the collegiate church of Pallanza (c. 1716), St. Anthony and Saints in Santo Stefano in Milan (c. 1718), and finally, the 1724 altarpiece for Palazzo Leonardi in Trecate, now housed in the local monastery of the Sisters of Charity, which constitutes his last known work before his death, which occurred in Milan on January 27, 1729.