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St. Paul Preaching to the Athenians
(Baroque Europe )
These scenes from earliest Christian history are set amid fantasy architecture, mysteriously lit under dark skies. The small scale of the figures makes the buildings seem enormous. De Nomé has imagined ancient streetscapes of Athens and Jerusalem as lined with sculpture and rich architectural ornament. In the scene of St. Paul preaching, a circular pagan temple stands next to a lavish entrance to a synagogue, with a statue of Moses at the left that appears to be adapted from the famous Well of Moses of 1395-1404 by Claus Sluter in Dijon.
De Nomé's mixture of classical and late medieval Gothic elements from his homeland adds to the uniqueness and eccentricity of the compositions. The small size of the copper plates and the complexity of the compositions call attention to the artist's virtuosity and skill.
For more information on this painting, please see Federico Zeri's 1976 catalogue no. 342, p. 466.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Don Marcello Massarenti Collection, Rome [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [1897 catalogue: no. 864, as Flemish, about 1550]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1902, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1991-1992 | François de Nomé: Theatre of Light and Destruction. The Menil Collection, Houston. |
| 1971-1972 | World of Wonder. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1967 | An Exhibition of the Treasures of The Walters Art Gallery. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton; Pace Wildenstein Gallery, New York. |
| 1962 | Scenes and Spectacles: The Theatre-World of the Baroque. Paul Klapper Library, Flushing. |
| 1950 | The Fantastic Visions of Monsù Desiderio. The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| Examination | examined for condition | |
| 1/1/1949 | Treatment | coated; examined for exhibition; varnish removed or reduced |
| 3/1/1969 | Treatment | coated; inpainted; re-framed |
| 1/18/1982 | Treatment | coated; filled; lined; re-framed; surface cleaned; varnish removed or reduced |
Geographies
Italy, Naples (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Painted surface H: 7 7/16 x W: 9 7/16 in. (18.9 x 24 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters with the Massarenti Collection, 1902
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.328