Atributted to Paolo de Matteis

Attributed to PAOLO DE MATTEIS (Salerno, Naples, 1662 - 1728).
"The Gathering of Herminia.
Oil on canvas.
Preserves original canvas.
It presents restorations.
Measurements: 182 x 142 cm.
The disposition of the characters that make up this scene indicates that the work is possibly a fragment of a larger composition of which the replica is found. In the original painting, which is larger in size, there is a young woman being observed by the other figures. In terms of subject matter these would represent shepherds, and the lost figure Herminia, or erminia, a Saracen princess fleeing from battle and finally taking refuge in a shepherd's hut. The story in particular is inspired by one of the passages of the epic poem "The liberated Jerusalem", written by Torcuato Tasso in 1581. Aesthetically, the work is heir to tenebrism by playing with contrasts of light, creating an unreal and directed illumination. Furthermore, the way in which the shepherds are portrayed, one of advanced age and three young people whose representation recalls that of the putti, is realistic and in the case of the old man stark, as can be seen especially in the pictorial treatment of the torso. The scene is completed by the presence of several sheep and a herding dog, which adds great dynamism to the scene.
Due to the type of composition and especially the chromatic range used, this piece belongs to the production of the Italian artist Paolo de Matteis. He trained academically with the master Francesco di Maria in Naples, and later with Luca Giordano. From 1702 to 1705 de 'Matteis worked in Paris, Calabria and Genoa. Between 1723 and 1725, de 'Matteis lived in Rome, where he was commissioned by Pope Innocent XIII. During this period he had as pupils various personalities such as Ignatius de Oliveira, Bernardes Peresi and members of the Sarnelli family, Giuseppe Mastroleo, Giovanni Pandozzi, and Nicolas de Filippis. Today his work can be found in important private collections and in numerous important institutions, including the Capodimonte Museum (Italy), the Getty Museum in California (USA), and the National Gallery of Urbino (Italy).