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Madonna in Glory with Saints and Angels
by Onofrio Avellino (Photo by New York Scugnizzo)
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By Giovanni di Napoli
Little is known about Onofrio Avellino's life. He was probably born in 1674 in Naples and as his surname suggests, his family may have originally hailed from Avellino, a small town nestled between the foothills of the Apennine Mountains in Campania. He first apprenticed under Luca Giordano in Naples, sometimes putting finishing touches on his master's work. In fact, Avellino was so adept at emulating his instructor the copies are often mistaken for the original. His older brother, Giulio Giacinto Avellino, was also a painter.
After Giordano's departure to Spain in 1692 Avellino trained with Francesco Solimena. Under his new teacher's guidance the young artist drifted away from the vibrant Giordanesque style of painting towards a more classical idiom. He painted a variety of subjects, though portraits were considered his forte. Examples of Avellino's early work can be found in the small coastal town of Vico Equense and the Church of San Domenico Maggiore in Naples.
In 1710 he painted the Madonna in Glory with Saints and Angels on the ceiling of the nave of the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Carmine in Sorrento. The painting depicts Saint Simon receiving the Holy Scapular from the Virgin. A veritable who's who of Carmelite Saints and Angels have gathered in a celestial setting to witness the sacred rite. The painting is one of the artist's largest and considering Sorrento's immense popularity with tourists, and the church's prominent location in the famous Piazza Tasso, it’s quite possibly his most famous, if not finest extant piece.
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The Santuario della Madonna del Carmine, Sorrento
Photo by New York Scugnizzo
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Avellino settled in Rome sometime before 1720. Although his later work was influenced by Carlo Maratta (sometimes spelled Maratti)—whose late Baroque classicism became the predominant style of the Eternal City—he maintained regular contact with Solimena, often sending his former mentor sketches for consideration. Avellino executed commissions for both private and ecclesiastical patrons, which included paintings of Saint Alberto tending the sick for the church of Santa Maria de Montesanto and The glory of Saint Anna for the vault of San Francesco di Paola. Sadly, few of the artist's works survive.
In 1722 he completed a canvas depicting Santa Cecilia for the Palazzo Orsetti in Lucca. In 2009 the oil painting underwent much-needed restoration, almost returning the masterpiece to its original glory. It can be viewed in the entrance hall of the stately Tuscan palace.
Onofrio Avellino died in Rome on April 17, 1741.
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The ceiling of the nave in the Sanctuary
Photo by New York Scugnizzo
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Sources:
• Ketterer Kunst: http://www.kettererkunst.com/bio/onofrio-avellino-1674.shtml
