After Vincent Adriaenssen, Martyrdom of Saint Stephen, Oil on Canvas, 17th Century, Framed

Landscape with martyrdom of Saint Stephen is an old master artwork realized in 17th century. Mixed colored oil painting on canvas. Includes coeval gilded frame cm. 148x196. The artwork is attributed to Vincent Adriaenssen called il Manciola (Antwerp, 1595 - Roma, 1675) Among the painters who worked in the first half of the seventeenth century it is possible to indicate only the Neapolitan Scipione Compagno (1624-1680) as the author of scenes of martyrs set within a landscape or a view such as, for example, the Martyrdom of Saint Stefano recently hesitated at the Ansorena in Madrid on June 16, 2021. It should be noted, however, that the landscape represented in the painting examined here, characterized by luxuriant vegetation, meticulously represented "in the Flemish style", shows differences with the typical settings of the paintings di Compagno, characterized above all by urban views, visionary architectures or rather arid vegetation. Even the refined figures, so elongated and lanky, represented in our painting, in particular the group of knights in the foreground on the right, are not reflected in the production of the Neapolitan painter. These elements, to which we add the depiction of the Eternal Father amidst the clouds and the detail of the dog in profile in the foreground, instead recall a painter mainly known as a battle soldier, but who was also the author of many works depicting episodes from ancient Rome set within luxuriant landscapes, or rather Vincent Adriaenssen known as Manciola, a painter from Antwerp whose figure has been shed light thanks to recent studies. The group of horsemen represented to the right of the examined painting is, in fact, comparable with other groups on horseback present in numerous works by Manciola such as, for example, in the Triumph of Caesar (Rome, Babuino, 23-03-2010; formerly Florence, Collection Privata, 2006), while similar elongated and somewhat lanky figures, dressed in red, yellow, blue and white, can be found in the three paintings conserved at the Cassa di Risparmio di Pesaro, which in the past were erroneously attributed to the Umbrian painter Francesco Allegrini (1587-1663). Adriaensz, called Manciola because, lacking his right hand, he painted with his left, was a pupil of Pieter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) and his activity took place between Rome (from 1625 to 1645; from 1661 to 1675) and Paris (between 1640 and 1641; from 1645 to 1661) where, on the recommendation of Nicola Poussin, he worked for Chantelou and then for Cardinal Mazarin. Although there are few landscapes by Manciola that have come down to us with respect to the battles, in the ancient inventories there are, in reality, very numerous paintings representing landscapes that testify to a dispersed production of the Antwerp artist. Reference bibliography: - A. Marabottini, Two canvases by Vincent Adriaensz known as il Manciola and a late "errata corrige", in "Commentari d'arte", 12, 2006, pp. 41-50. - C. de Aldecoa, Vincent Adriaenssen Leckerbetien dit il Manciola ou le Manchole Anvers, 1595 - Rome 1675: un peintre connu mais oublié, in “Bulletin de l'Association des Historiens de l'Art Italien”, 7. 2001, pp. 28-47. - E.Fumagalli, A battalion found. Vincent Adriaenssen known as Manciola, in “Paragone”, 50, 1999, 28, pp.3-24. - A.G. De Marchi, Manciola and more: notes on Battaglia's painting, in “Paragone”, 50, 1999, 28, pp.25-40. - M.R.Nappi, The Neapolitan Philip by Roberto Longhi. Scipione Compagni or Cornelio Brusco, in Perspective, 47, 1986, pp. 24-37. Expertise by Dr. P. Basso Bondini.