Saint John the Baptist in the Deer"

Saint John the Baptist in the Deer with the Lamb of God
Workshop of Pier Francesco Mola "il Ticinese" (1612-1666)
Oil on canvas
Canvas size 38 x 48 old frame 54 x 64
Very good state of consevation.

This beautiful painting depicts a young Saint John the Baptist holding the baton with the title block sitting next to the inevitable Lamb, a scene enriched by a background with a particularly vivid natural opening.
It is of obvious beauty that combines remarkable pictorial finesse with a perfect stage construction in order to provoke a feeling of total contentment in the viewer.
In fact, you can see all the characteristics of an author with remarkable expressive abilities that emerge in this little gem.
The declair-obscure effect, the nuances, the living colors and the chromatic combinations, but also the depth and movement, contribute to the stylistic perfection of the painting.
The comparison with the minor works of Pier Francesco Mola is easy to read and we agree with this historical attribution.
Pier Francesco Mola, known as Ticinese for his origins, operated mainly in Rome, where his paintings were appreciated both for portraiture and for the creation of landscapes.
Influenced by the French Poussin and Lorrain, he was among the first to insert nature and landscape into his compositions with chiaroscuro and nuances accentuated by a very warm chromatic temperature.
This living colouring, taken from the French masters, was very successful with constant demands from the Clergy and Nobility of the time, but was appreciated especially by the rich visitors of Rome who bought his small works directly in Piazza Navona where they were exposed.
On Piazza Navona, a large group of artists gathered, offering their paintings to wealthy English and French aristocrats visiting the "Eternal City".