A Pagan Sacrifice
c. 1645–50
Medium
Oil paint on tan laid paper, laid down on cream wove paper
Dimensions
57.6 × 42.5 cm (22 11/16 × 16 3/4 in.)
Classification
oil paintings (visual works)
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
28813
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This monumental painting on paper, formerly in the collection of Lord Kenneth Clark, is a superb example of Castiglione's mature style. It demonstrates not only the impact of artists he encountered in Rome, such as Rubens and Poussin, but also the audacious technical innovations he initiated, painting fluently with pigment and oil on paper. The obscure pagan subject was undoubtedly aimed at a select and erudite Roman audience.
About the Artist
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione · 1609–1664
Versatile and eclectic artist open to foreign influence which was unusual for an Italian artist of his time. Some of his best-known works are somewhat fantastical. He was court painter at Mantua from 1648. Comment on works: Religious; Landscapes; Animals; Mythology.