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| Title | Rebecca at the Well | |
| Collection | Beecroft Art Gallery, Westcliff-on-Sea | |
| Artist | Attributed to studio of Solimena, Francesco (Italian painter and draftsman, 1657-1747) Previously attributed to school of Cortona, Pietro da (Italian draftsman and painter, 1596-1669) Previously attributed to school of Solimena, Francesco (Italian painter and draftsman, 1657-1747) Previously attributed to Italian School Previously attributed to Murillo, Bartolomé Estebán (Spanish painter and draftsman, 1618-1682) |
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| Date Earliest | possibly about 1690 | |
| Date Latest | possibly about 1710 | |
| Description | Francesco Solimena's principle works were for churches in Naples and he dominated the artistic life of that city during his lifetime. The monumental figures of Rebecca and Eliezer show the influence of Michelangelo; they exemplify the classicism of Solimena's style, which introduced a newfound gravity in the wake of the exuberant Baroque painting that had dominated Italy in the seventeenth century. Solimena ran a large studio and this painting is probably the work of his assistants. | |
| Current Accession Number | SOUAG:S10 | |
| Subject | religion (Rebecca at the Well); figure; animal (goat; sheep) | |
| Measurements | 121 x 159.5 cm (estimate) | |
| Material | oil on canvas | |
| Acquisition Details | Transferred to the Beecroft Art Gallery 1955. | |
| Provenance | Given to Southend Corporation by Councillor Mitchell, 1922. | |
| Principal Exhibitions | Millennium Exhibition, Beecroft Art Gallery, Southend-on-Sea, 2000, cat. no. 23. | |
| Publications | Hunt, C., Highlights of the Beecroft Art Gallery, Southend-on-Sea, 2000, p. 16, pl. 23. | |
| Notes | Although exhibited in 2000 as by the school of Francesco Solimena, Gabriele Finaldi (formerly National Gallery, London) believes that, based on the high quality of the painting, it is probably the work of Solimena's studio. The poses of the figures are similar to those in other documented works by Solimena. | |
| Rights Owner | Copyright Southend Borough Council | |
| Author | Dr Rachel Sloan | |