Christ the King with saints Aloysius de Gonzaga and Catherine of Bologna
The last in the long line of artists who emerged from the Barbiani studios in Ravenna - set up by Giovanni Barbiani at the end of the 1500s - Andrea was one of the most active and important artists in 18th century Romagna.
He trained under Giacomo Anziani and his style took the form of an unoriginal but high quality reinterpretation of the traditional Bologna Baroque school manner, particularly Carlo Cignani. The churches of Ravenna are home to a dozen of Andrea Barbiani’s paintings, proof of the standing that the artist earned in the art scene of his home city. The provenance of this altarpiece is not known and its attribution to Barbiani was first advanced by Giordano Viroli based on similarities of style in the brushstrokes on the faces, the rendering of the drapery and the chiaroscuro effect (Viroli, 1991; Ceroni - Viroli, 1994; Gori, 2001).
The composition is simple and direct: the subjects are arranged according to an idealised hierarchy, at the top of which is the proud figure of the infant Jesus, holding the whole world in his right hand, above two adoring saints and the fluttering figure of an angel below. The dark background with golden reflections conceals the setting, a reference to the celestial dimension where this sacred encounter occurs and which the worshipper witnesses."
