A statuesque woman supported by billowing clouds personifies the virtue of Faith. She holds a chalice of wine, and suspended above it is a circular Host, or wafer of unleavened bread. Christian viewers would have recognized the bread and wine as manifestations of Christ’s body and blood, which were ritually consumed to commemorate his sacrifice. The fingers of Faith’s right hand curl around two stone tablets representing the Ten Commandments, an important source of Christian doctrine. The tablets’ unfinished state indicates that Francesco Solimena was unsure of their placement, supporting the idea that this painting was a preparatory study, likely for frescoed murals in a church. Solimena’s study evokes the desired effect of the frescoes by placing the viewer in the position of the congregation, looking up at the dynamic, illusionistic figures of Faith and her angelic entourage.
Details
- Artist Name: Francesco Solimena (Italian, 1657-1747)
- Title: Faith
- Date: c. 1680-84
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 19-1/2 x 30 in. (49.5 x 76.2 cm)
- Credit Line: Norton Simon Art Foundation, Gift of Mr. Norton Simon
- Accession Number: M.1979.57.P
- Copyright: © Norton Simon Art Foundation
Object Information
Norton Simon, Los Angeles, N.79.57.P., gift 1979 to;
Norton Simon Art Foundation.
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1317 p. 393
- Carotenuto, Simona, Francesco Solimena: Dall'attività giovanile agli anni della maturità (1674-1710), 2015, 5.8. pp.205-206
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