Nicola Grassi (1682-1748), Attributed to - San Francesco di Paola in preghiera

Nicola Grassi
(Formeaso di Zuglio, 1682 – Venice, 1748)
Attributed to

Title: Saint Francis of Paola in Prayer
Technique: Oil on canvas
Size: 43 × 34 cm
Size with frame: 54.5 × 45.5 cm
Period: 18th century

Biographical notes
Nicola Grassi was born in Formeaso di Zuglio, in Carnia, in 1682 and died in Venice in 1748. Having moved early to the lagoon city, he trained under Nicolò Cassana, later absorbing the experiences of Venetian painting of the early 18th century, with particular attention to the chiaroscuro of Giovanni Battista Piazzetta and to the chromatic sensitivity of Giovanni Battista Pittoni.
Active between Venice and Friuli, he distinguished himself mainly in sacred painting and portraiture. Among his most significant works are the figures of the evangelists and prophets for the Venetian church of the Ospedaletto, the canvas with Rebecca and Eleazar at the well in the church of San Francesco della Vigna, and the important cycle of seventeen paintings destined for the Cathedral of Tolmezzo, commissioned by Giacomo Linussio.

Description of the work

The painting presumably depicts Saint Francis of Paola, founder of the Order of Minims, shown in half length with his head inclined and hands folded in a gesture of prayer. The saint, recognizable by his elderly appearance, thick white beard, and austere religious habit, emerges against a dark background, while the staff on the left completes the sobriety of the iconographic characterization.
The composition is entirely focused on the expressive intensity of the face and the gesture of the hands. A warm light, coming from above, bathes the forehead, nose, and cheeks, gradually allowing the rest of the figure to fade into shadow. The painterly material, rendered through soft tonal transitions and a palette dominated by browns and reddish earths, gives the image an aura of intimate meditation.

The attribution to Nicola Grassi is proposed on the basis of the particular physiognomic characterization of the saint. The face, built through a marked tilt of the head, indeed presents eyes elongated with a slant, pronounced eyebrow arches, and a prominent nose, elements that find significant affinities with the recurring figurative types in the artist’s production (see attached photograph with the comparison to another famous painting by the author). The gentle modulation of flesh tones and the gradual transition from light to shadow likewise appear consistent with Grassi’s pictorial language, in which the Venetian chiaroscural tradition is accompanied by a peculiar sensitivity to the expression of feelings.
The work constitutes an interesting example of eighteenth-century devotional painting, in which the simplicity of the compositional setup leaves ample space for psychological inquiry and the spiritual dimension of the subject.

Condition
The painting shows signs of aging and widespread craquelure of the surface; please refer to the high-resolution photographs for a precise assessment of the conservation state.

Shipping
Professional and tracked shipping, with careful packaging appropriate to the nature of the work. Frame included free with the work.