Bidspirit auction | Attributed to AURELIANO MILANI (Bologna,

Attributed to AURELIANO MILANI (Bologna, 1675 - Rome, 1749) - The Repentance of Saint Peter - Oil on canvas, 75x58.5 cm unframed 85cm x 68.5cm with frame Aureliano Milani (Bologna, 1675 - Rome, 1749), Italian painter active during the late Baroque period. The painting is a refined product of 17th-century Bolognese painting. The scene shows the repentance of Saint Peter, a theme that enjoyed great popularity during the Counter-Reformation. The Saint, presented half-length, has his hands clasped in an attitude of intimate conversation and looks up to heaven while tears wet his cheeks. A thick white beard frames the Saint's face, while his half-open mouth and disheveled curls make the image more vivid. The light, coming from the left, illuminates the saint's face, which is also highlighted by the ochre tone of his cloak. The intensity of the saint's face and the powerful dosage of chiaroscuro reveal the work of a master painter, well acquainted with Guido Reni's essays on the subject. The theme of the Weeping St. Peter, in the first two decades of the century, was frequently addressed by artists of the Carracci school. The intimate and pathetic tone of the work brings it closer to the style of Aureliano Milani, a highly accomplished Bolognese artist who, in his choice of warm colors and the expressive power of the figures, renews the power of the Carracci painting, especially that of Ludovico. Stylistically, the figure does not seem very far removed from those of St. Luke and St. Pellegrino in the Basilica dei Servi in Bologna, painted before his departure for Rome in 1719.