Alessandro Magnasco (Italian, 1667–1749)
Theodosius Repulsed from the Church by Saint Ambrose
INV-1289
Alessandro Magnasco (Italian, 1667–1749)c. 1705
Theodosius Repulsed from the Church by Saint Ambrose
Alessandro Magnasco (Italian, 1667–1749) →18th Centuryoil on canvasoil paintings (visual works)
Date
c. 1705
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
155.3 × 213.5 cm (61 1/8 × 84 1/16 in.); Framed: 189.9 × 248.3 cm (74 3/4 × 97 3/4 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Clyde M. Carr Fund
This painting depicts a historical event from the year 390 when Ambrose, the archbishop of Milan, refused to give communion to Emperor Theodosius I until he made public penance for the massacre of thousands of innocents after an insurrection. Theodosius, the last emperor to command the entire Roman Empire, eventually submitted to the archbishop’s moral authority.
The brushwork and arrangement of figures in this composition showcase Alessandro Magnasco’s fluid, energetic style. However, for the elaborate background edifice, an imaginary interpretation of the atrium of an early Christian church, he most likely employed an unidentified specialist in architectural painting.
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