Lot 254: Antonio Gionima , Venice 1697-1732 Bologna Saint Louis departing for the Crusades oil on copper

oil on copper

measurements note 45 by 35.8 cm.; 17 3/4 by 14 1/8 in.

Antonio Gionima was the son of the painter Simone Gionima (c.1655-1730) and was a pupil first of Aureliano Milani (1675-1749) and then of Giuseppe Maria Crespi (1665-1747). Through the influence of this latter master, he continued the tradition of Bolognese classicism. The treatment of the figures in the present painting, in particular the armoured soldiers, can be compared to those in other works by Gionima, such as the Mucius Scaevola before King Porsena sold Milan, Sotheby's, 7 June 2000, lot 169 and a Jael and Sisera in a Private Collection.υ1 Louis IX, King of France (1214-70) was canonized in 1292 for his involvement in the Crusades in Egypt and Palestine. We are grateful to both Prof. Daniele Benati and Prof. Andrea Emiliani for independently endorsing the attribution to Gionima on the basis of photographs. 1. See A.Cera, La pittura Bolognese del' 700, Milan 1994, no. 11, reproduced.