Saint Francis, Genoese School, 17th century, workshop of Domenico Piola (1628–1703)

"Saint Francis"
Workshop of Domenico Piola (1628–1703)
Oil on canvas
Late 17th century
Canvas dimensions: 59 x 70 cm
Period frame: 70 x 81 cm
Excellent condition

The painting depicts the Patron Saint of Italy, clad in a Franciscan habit, at the climax of his ecstasy, witnessing a group of angels flying above him within a halo of light.
The scene unfolds outdoors in a wooded landscape; Saint Francis, positioned at the center of the canvas, kneels with arms outstretched, gazing upward in rapture toward the celestial apparition.
The image's distinctive painterly and chromatic qualities, along with its splendid, theatrical composition, are characteristic of Genoese Baroque art.
The work is attributed to the renowned workshop of Master Domenico Piola—a leading figure in a prominent family of artists who shaped 17th-century Genoese Baroque painting and sculpture through a prolific output of works for both private and ecclesiastical patrons.
Alongside monumental altarpieces and frescoes for churches and palaces, the workshop produced canvases—such as this one—that adapted these grand compositions for private devotion.

The painting is in excellent condition.
It features a 19th-century relining and a recently applied protective varnish.
The canvas shows no signs of restoration or overpainting.
The beautiful gilded frame is original and has undergone no restoration. Biographical Sketch:

Domenico Piola (Genoa, 1628 – Genoa, April 8, 1703) was one of the leading figures of the Genoese Baroque.

Domenico was the brother of painters Pellegro (1617–1640) and Giovanni Andrea; his paternal uncles, Giovanni Gregorio and Pier Francesco, were also painters.

He initially apprenticed in his brother Pellegro's workshop; while still very young, he traveled to Rome to study the masters of the past.

Upon returning to Genoa, he befriended the era's greatest Genoese artist, Valerio Castello, eventually becoming his most acclaimed successor.

He married Maddalena Virzi, with whom he had eight children: Anton Maria, Paolo Gerolamo, and Giovanni Battista (who followed in their father's footsteps); Andrea (who became a religious figure); and three daughters—one of whom, Margherita, married the painter Gregorio De Ferrari, while another married the sculptor Anton Domenico Parodi.

The Piola family became the most important artistic hub for painting and sculpture in the Ligurian capital.

Having collaborated with Valerio Castello on the extensive decoration of the halls at Palazzo Balbi Senarega, Piola inherited Castello's projects following the latter's sudden death in 1659. He thus became the head of Genoa's most prestigious painting workshop and the leading figure behind the city's major decorative undertakings in the second half of the 17th century.

The Doria, Spinola, and Balbi families—along with all the city's prominent households—turned to his workshop to adorn their palaces with depictions of classical heroes, ancient emperors, and mystical allegories celebrating the patrons' virtues, as well as for major religious commissions for the city's churches and convents. He died at an advanced age in 1703—by then a celebrated great Master—still active in his workshop and on construction sites.