Sacred Art – The Circumcision By Rubens To Be Restored In Genoa
In 1605, A monumental sacred art painting “The Circumcision” by Flemish Baroque painter Pieter Paul Rubens is about to get restored in Genoa, Italy.
In 1605, the Flemish painter Pieter Paul Rubens created one of the most representative masterpieces of European Baroque for the high altar of the Church of the Gesù, in the heart of Genoa.
The painting depicting the Circumcision will be the subject of an important restoration project, for which an additional 30 thousand euros have been allocated by the regional council, which will be added to the previous 30 thousand already prepared, for a total of 60 thousand euros.
“All this derives from the need to safeguard an exceptional and particularly significant asset for the history of the Ligurian artistic heritage which, once returned to its place, on the main altar of the Church of Gesù, will be more accessible to the whole community “, explains the coordinator of the Region’s cultural policies, Jessica Nicolini.
The monumental canvas, almost four meters high, is located between two large black marble columns, conceived from the beginning as an integral part of the scenography, specially transported in the same year from the Framura quarry.
The subject chosen for the painting, that of the circumcision of Jesus, underlines the importance of this rite for the Jesuit order, which became particularly influential in Genoa after 1545 and which, not surprisingly, was linked to one of the most powerful Genoese families , the Pallavicinos. It was in fact the sons of Agostino Pallavicino, between the end of the sixteenth century and the beginning of the seventeenth century, who financed the building of the Church of Gesù itself through a donation of 400 thousand gold scudi.
The recovery project – which aims to guarantee the restoration of the optimal state of the work, in order to ensure better enjoyment for visitors – is accompanied by the initiative of the Pallavicino ETS Foundation , which will support the costs for the research and publication of a volume dedicated to the history of the masterpiece, starting from the events of the client family; passing through the material and stylistic analysis of the work and its importance in the context of public sacred art of the Baroque age; until the recent restoration.
