Luca Giordano

(Napoli, 1634 - 1705)

This unpublished and intensely expressive Head of a Bearded Saint is attributed by Prof. Spinosa to Luca Giordano and dated to around 1660, during the period of the Neapolitan master’s early maturity. The work still reveals echoes of Mattia Preti, particularly in its naturalistic approach and heightened expressive tension, while already displaying the precious handling and luminous richness of Neo-Venetian inspiration that characterize Giordano’s production after 1656. Especially noteworthy are the rendering of the flesh tones, the long white beard, and the penetrating expression of the gaze. Spinosa further notes close comparisons with the figure of Socrates in the Xanthippe Pouring Water over Socrates formerly in the Molinari Pradelli collection, and with the Isaac in the Departure of Jacob from the House of Isaac in the Harrach collection at Schloss Rohrau, Austria, both datable to the early 1660s.