Antonio Balestra (Verona, 1666-1740) SOLD Moses Saved from the Waters of the Nile, circa 1730 Oil on canvas, 63 x 98.5 cm Unpublished "In Moses Saved, Balestra's solid formal approach emerges, lingering over the rendering of the expressive poses of the protagonists and the balancing of the composition. The canvas is perhaps the preparatory study for a painting of a similar subject that was previously auctioned at Christie's in 1990 (oil on canvas, 159x206 cm): numerous variations can be found between the two works, such as the elimination in the final version of the small Moorish servant on the right, to allow for a better rotation of all the female figures around the luminous image of Moses. Further versions of this subject are known, although with a rather different layout, such as the canvas painted for the ceiling of the Marmorsaal of Pommersfelden Castle (circa 1714-1716) and the version now kept at the Accademia Tadini in Lovere (inv. 282)." - Galleria Giamblanco Catalog, Four Centuries of Painting, Allemandi, Turin, 2016, pp. 36 - 37. http://dipintiantichigiamblanco.it/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Catalogo-2016.pdf SOLD