Giovanni Stefano DANEDI dit MONTALTO
(
Treviglio, 1612-Milan, 1689)The Holy FamilyClothRestoration of ancient paintings
92
,5 x 121 cm
Few elements are known about the life of Giovanni Stefano Danedi dit Montalto. A pupil of the great Lombard painter, Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli known as Il Morazzone, he worked mainly in Lombardy. Author of numerous frescoes, he took part in the spectacular construction of the sanctuary of the Sacred Mount of Varallo
.

Our painting bears perfect witness to this 17th century Lombard production, imbued with Caravaggio and mysticism, through the tight framing, the strong chiaroscuro and the fluidity of the figures. The artist's debt to his master is visible in the choice of the mauve-mattled colouring and in the almost foamy aspect of the drapes. We find these same characteristics in Susanna and the Old Men (not located, reproduced in La Pittura Lombarda del' 600, 1985, Milan, n° 234) or Herodiade and the Head of Saint John the Baptist (kept in a private collection, Busto Arsizio, canvas, 98 x 124 cm).