Francesco Solimena
Italian, 1657-1747
St. Philip Neri Swooning, 1727-1730
Oil on canvas, 25 x 30 inches
Gift of Mrs. Robert Hamilton Bishop, Jr. and Mr. Phillip Mather
1955.P.1.2
Francesco Solimena worked in Naples all his life and became one of the most influential European painters. His work walked the line between the dark works of the Italian painters like Caravaggio and the extravagance of his Naple contemporaries. The ecstasy of St. Philip Neri in response to the dramatic presence of angelic figures, compounded by Solimena’s theatrical composition, was intended to inspire a similar experience of religious fervor in the viewer. Based on the size of the image and Solimena’s status, this was likely a commission for a wealthy patron and would have inspired private worship in the home.