Attributed to Sebastiano Conca

Attributed to SEBASTIANO CONCA (Gaeta 1680 - Naples, 1764).
"Adoration of the Magi".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Measurements: 72 x 56 cm; 95 x 80 cm (frame).
From the stylistic point of view, the painting reveals a loose and vibrant brushstroke, with a clear and warm palette in which golden, pink and blue tones predominate. The light, diffuse and enveloping, softly models the figures, creating a lyrical atmosphere that characterizes the artist's mature production. These qualities are directly related to Conca's synthesis between the baroque heritage of his master Francesco Solimena and the academic classicism derived from Carlo Maratta, as well as the study of masters such as Raphael or the Carracci.
The work shows formal and compositional affinities with other works by the artist around the 1720s, such as the Adoration of the Shepherds preserved in the Paul Getty Museum or the paintings in the church of Santa Teresa, which allows us to place it in a moment of creative plenitude. In these years, Conca developed a language characterized by the elegance of the figures, compositional dynamism and a gentle spirituality, intended to move the viewer without resorting to the dramatic excesses of the previous Baroque. The work presents a complex arrangement in which the Virgin and Child occupies a central place, elevated on a light architectural podium, while the Magi are arranged in attitudes of adoration that generate an enveloping movement. The inclusion of angels in flight and the opening towards a luminous background reinforce the celestial character of the scene, integrating the earthly and the divine in a unified vision. This type of composition, more open and fluid than the strict Renaissance pyramid, responds to the innovations that Conca himself introduced in Marian iconography.
Sebastiano Conca (Gaeta, 1680 - Naples, 1764) was one of the most outstanding figures of Italian painting in the 18th century, especially active in Rome, where he achieved notable prestige both for his artistic production and for his theoretical and teaching work. He initially trained in Naples under the tutelage of Francesco Solimena, one of the main representatives of the Neapolitan Baroque, from whom he inherited a taste for dynamic compositions and intense color. In 1707 he moved to Rome, a leading artistic center, where his style evolved as he came into contact with the classicism of Carlo Maratta and with the direct study of the great masters of the Renaissance such as Michelangelo and Raphael. His career was closely linked to ecclesiastical and aristocratic patronage. Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni was one of his main patrons, providing him with important commissions in Rome, including frescoes and altarpieces for churches such as San Clemente and San Juan de Letran. Between 1721 and 1724 he produced one of his most significant works. Conca achieved great international fame thanks to his easel paintings, highly appreciated in European collections, and he maintained links with the Spanish court, to which he sent several works, although he refused to work directly for Philip V.