MARIANO SALVADOR MAELLA (Valencia, 1739 - Madrid, 1819). "Holy Family with Saint Teresa of Jesus". Oil on canvas. Relined. Attached certificate of

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OLD MASTERS

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Oct 20, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-10-20 07:30:00 2021-10-20 07:30:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : OLD MASTERS https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/setdart-auction-house/old-masters-7700
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  MARIANO SALVADOR MAELLA (Valencia, 1739 - Madrid, 1819). "Holy Family with Saint Teresa of Jesus". Oil on canvas. Relined. Attached certificate of authenticity issued by the Amatller Institute of Hispanic Art. Measurements: 215 x 157 cm; 239 x 183 cm (frame). Faithful to his style, Mariano Salvador Maella offers us a canvas that combines the last traces of eighteenth-century baroque with the novelties of neoclassicism, always marked by academicism and rigour in the drawing. This is a tremendously narrative work, with the Holy Family in the centre of the composition and Saint Teresa of Jesus in the lower right corner. In an exceptional interplay of gazes, gestures and symbolism, Maella immortalises Saint Teresa as if she were a donor, in the manner of a portrait, idealised both in the treatment of her face and her clothing. Thus, the Carmelite habit, far from being represented as a mere garment, is worked with great subtlety and determination, as if it were a delicate transparent veil. The saint looks at the Child Jesus, personified by the Valencian artist as Cupid. With the help of his parents, the little boy points his arrow at Teresa of Jesus, an allusion to the ecstasy experienced by the saint herself, in which she felt God's love piercing her heart. Maella completes the composition with the representation of the Holy Spirit, from whose beak emanate the rays that inspire the saint in her writing. In relation to this last point, it is worth mentioning how Saint Teresa is considered one of Spain's most celebrated writers. On the heavenly plane, in the manner of a typically Baroque break in glory, God the Father Almighty is depicted, relegated to the background, albeit with a firm and decisive line, a faithful reflection of her religious condition. This exceptional composition, which embodies the powerful artistic work of Salvador Maella, denotes the Valencian artist's taste for classical antiquity, a characteristic of neoclassicism reflected in the personification of the Christ Child as Cupid, in the foot of the classical column that rises in the background of the work and in the tonsure of flowers that crowns the Saint (in the manner of a laurel wreath). A painter, engraver and illustrator, Maella began his training in Madrid, in the drawing studio of the sculptor Felipe de Castro. He later continued his studies at the recently created San Fernando Academy, where his teacher was Antonio González Velázquez, from whom he learned the elements of the late 18th-century Baroque. After completing his studies and having won several Academy competitions, he moved to Rome in 1757. There he began his professional career, following the Baroque style of his master. However, on returning to France he entered the sphere of Anton Raphael Mengs, leaving the Baroque influence behind him for good. From then on he carried out important work as a fresco painter in the decoration of the Royal Palace in Madrid and other royal sites. In 1774 he was appointed chamber painter, and from then on he combined his service to the king with his post at the Santa Bárbara Tapestry Factory, where he was responsible for supervising the work of the young painters. He was also a member of merit of the Royal Academy of San Fernando from 1765, replacing Mengs as professor there from 1769, before finally being appointed director in 1772. At the height of his career, Charles IV awarded him the title of first painter to the king, shared with Goya, in 1799. Maella is currently represented in the Prado Museum, the National Heritage collection, the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the Valencia Fine Arts Museum, among others.
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