Italian school; second half of the 17th century.

Italian School; second half of the 17th century.
“Lot and His Daughters.”
Oil on canvas. Relined.
It has an 18th-century Italian frame.
Measurements: 90 x 19 cm; 11 x 144 cm (frame).
A painting from the Italian school depicting the episode of Lot and his daughters, one of the most complex and controversial stories in the Old Testament. The story, recounted in the Book of Genesis, takes place immediately after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot, Abraham’s nephew, had been warned by angels sent by God to leave the city before its destruction. After fleeing and losing his wife—who was turned into a pillar of salt for disobeying the divine command not to look back—Lot and his two daughters took refuge in a mountainous region. Convinced that the destruction had wiped out all of humanity and that there were no men left with whom to continue their lineage, the young women decided to get their father drunk and sleep with him on successive nights. From these unions, Moab and Ben-Ammi were born, whom biblical tradition considers the ancestors of the Moabite and Ammonite peoples.
The scene depicted corresponds to the moment just before this outcome. The painter shows the daughters offering wine to Lot, foreshadowing the central episode of the story through a visual narrative charged with psychological tension. The artist’s focus is on the interaction between the characters and the expression of their moods, while the figure of Lot, partially revealed, takes on a more prominent role in the composition.
The work fully embodies the sensibility of Italian Baroque art. The figures occupy the foreground with a marked sculptural presence, rendered through contrasting lighting that highlights their volumes and lends a sense of monumentality to the scene. The composition unfolds in an open space, departing from the customary depiction of the cave mentioned in the biblical text and allowing the artist to incorporate a sweeping landscape setting.The background of the composition takes on special importance; there, on the right, the city of Sodom can be seen engulfed in flames. The simultaneous inclusion of different narrative moments within a single image reflects a common practice in Baroque painting, intended to help the viewer understand the story.