Französischer Caravaggist des 17. Jahrhunderts

French caravaggist of the 17th century Christ and the Adulteress Oil on canvas (relined). 126 x 174 cm. At the beginning of the 17th century, Rome once again became an epicenter of European art. The Roman scene was dominated by the idiosyncratic personality of Caravaggio. By combining a dramatic dynamic with a precise observation of life, Merisi achieved a gloomy naturalism and achieved great fame during his lifetime. His works and those of his successor Bartolomeo Manfredi (1582-1622) offered a lively, clear alternative to the academic works of late Mannerism. Manfredi's Caravaggesque formula, the so-called "Manfredian method", with its life-size and popular figures dramatically depicted in strong chiaroscuro against a plain background, appealed to young artists from all over Europe. The artist who painted the present canvas was almost certainly referring to examples by northern Caravaggists (the painting was previously attributed to Nicolas Tournier and compared with his version of the theme "Christ and the Adulteress" in Brussels, Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, inv. no. 1488). The attribution has not prevailed because the lighter atmosphere and the compositional scheme are more likely to show influences from a classical direction - such as a Pietro da Cortona. The refined yet naturalistic execution undoubtedly harks back to the Roman art scene of the third decade of the 17th century, when the intense naturalism of Caravaggism was slowly being replaced by a lighter and brighter style that heralded the 18th century.