Circle of Marcantonio Franceschini (Bologna, 1648 – 1729), Lot and His Daughters

Circle of Marcantonio Franceschini (Bologna, 1648 – 1729) Lot and His Daughters Oil on canvas, 152 x 123 cm With frame, 163 x 133 cm The idyllic setting of the scene, the rich colors and rosy faces, as well as the pose of the daughter, undoubtedly recall the works of the Bolognese painter Marcantonio Franceschini (Bologna, April 5, 1648 – Bologna, December 24, 1729), as is clearly seen in the painting of a homologous subject in the Dulwich Picture Gallery. But comparisons can be found throughout Franceschini's production; for example, The Birth of Adonis in the Dresden Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Adam and Eve in the Mauritshuis, Armida attempts to kill sleeping Rinaldo in the Museo Civico di Modena, and The Seasons in the Pinacoteca Nazionale of Bologna. Franceschini's style is characterized by decorative accuracy, compositional elegance, and controlled chromatic sensibility. Although a fully Baroque artist, he managed to temper the drama and dynamism typical of that period with a more measured, academic, and idealized tendency, often an heir to the classicism of Guido Reni and Domenichino. The episode depicted here is that of Lot and his daughters, as told in chapter 19 of Genesis. It takes place after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, from which Lot, considered righteous, flees with his two daughters, taking refuge in a cave after losing his wife. The daughters, believing they were the only ones left in the world and wanting to preserve the family lineage, decided to make their father Lot drunk for two consecutive nights. Each lay with him, without his knowledge, in an extreme act motivated by the necessity of procreation in that context of total desolation. From these incestuous unions, both daughters conceived and gave birth to a son. The elder gave birth to Moab, the ancestor of the Moabites, and the younger gave birth to Ben-Ammi, the ancestor of the Ammonites. These two peoples, born from an act considered transgressive but motivated by the need to perpetuate the lineage in an apocalyptic context, later became bitter enemies of the people of Israel. Marcantonio Franceschini (Bologna, April 5, 1648 – Bologna, December 24, 1729) was one of the most important and prolific painters of the Bolognese school between the 17th and 18th centuries. Franceschini received his early artistic training from Giovanni Maria Galli, known as Bibiena. However, the fundamental encounter for his career occurred after 1668, when he entered Carlo Cignani's workshop, becoming his favorite student. He worked alongside his master for almost twenty years, especially in the difficult technique of fresco, working on decorative cycles in various cities, including Parma (Palazzo del Giardino). After Cignani's permanent departure for Forlì in 1686, Franceschini established his independent workshop in Bologna, becoming the new head of the school in the city. The last decade of the century not only confirmed the artist's success in his homeland but also saw a successful projection of his work in Europe. However, Franceschini chose never to leave his city, refusing the invitation of Charles II, King of Spain (a role later accepted by Luca Giordano), and those of the Elector Palatine Johann Wilhelm, who wanted him in Mannheim to decorate his palace, and Prince of Liechtenstein, who proposed a commission in Vienna. Despite this, his fame spread: among the numerous European collectors who commissioned his works were Augustus Frederick II of Saxony, Prince Frederick Christian, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe, the Marquess of Exeter, and Count Kaunitz. The subjects requested by this cultured aristocracy primarily revolved around mythological events, Arcadian fables, Old Testament events, and literary themes. For the Prince of Liechtenstein, he executed a vast pictorial cycle for the Winter Garden of Palazzo Rossau in Vienna. He worked intensely in Genoa (including the frescoes for Palazzo Lomellino and the Church of San Filippo Neri); between 1689 and 1696, he created large-scale works in Bologna and Modena, including the very rich decorative cycle for the Bolognese church of Corpus Domini (also known as "della Santi"). In 1711, the artist was called to Rome by Pope Clement XI to execute cartoons for the mosaics of the choir chapel in St. Peter's, a task previously entrusted to Carlo Maratta. This work earned him the title of Knight. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, Franceschini played a fundamental role in the founding of the Accademia di Belle Arti in Bologna. As early as 1706, Giampietro Zanotti had laid the groundwork for the institution, bringing together the most renowned artists and intellectuals of the city. Franceschini collaborated actively, participating in the selection of the forty artists destined to form the first nucleus of the institute and, in the year of its founding, held the position of vice-principal, conferred upon him by Cignani (who was appointed principal). Franceschini remained one of the most prominent members of the Academy, being chosen four times (1713, 1718, 1724, 1728) as a professor for teaching figure drawing, with the title of director. He died in Bologna on December 24, 1729, leaving a vast artistic legacy that marked the transition from late Baroque painting to the eighteenth-century style.