Lot 75

GIOVANNI VOLPATO,ITALIAN, BASSANO 1735-1803 ROME

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GIOVANNI VOLPATO,ITALIAN, BASSANO 1735-1803 ROME

Estimate: $2,800 - $4,500

Starting Bid: $1,000

(0 Bids)

by Jumbo Auction House
August 2, 2026 1:00 PM PDT
Live Auction
5091 Walnut Grove Ave
San Gabriel, CA, US CA 91776

Sheet Size: 770 x 580 mm (30.32 x 22.83 in),The Liberation of Saint Peter Original Creator: Raphael Intermediate Draughtsman: Bernardino Nocchi Printmaker: Giovanni Volpato Dated 1780 Medium: Engraving and Etching The Liberation of Saint Peter is a copperplate print completed in 1780 by the Italian engraver Giovanni Volpato, after a fresco by Raphael, with Bernardino Nocchi acting as intermediate draughtsman. Raphael's original fresco is housed in the Hall of Heliodorus within the Vatican Museums, the second chamber decorated by the artist between 1511 and 1514. The four murals covering the chamber's four walls are as follows: The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple (1511-1512), The Mass at Bolsena (1512), The Liberation of Saint Peter (1513-1514), and The Meeting of Pope Leo the Great and Attila (1514). As the Signature Chamber neared completion in the summer of 1511, Raphael began designing the decorative scheme for the adjacent room, intended to serve as an audience hall. In June of that same year, the Pope returned to Rome following a devastating defeat in the Italian Wars against France. Amid the prevailing political uncertainty, a decorative programme was devised to emphasise divine protection granted to the Church at pivotal moments in history, illustrating miraculous divine intervention against both internal and external foes, centred around the Pope's cherished devotion to the Eucharist. The Liberation of Saint Peter symbolises the miraculous triumph of the first Pope amid his deepest tribulations. Composed of three tightly interconnected narrative episodes, the work relies entirely on chiaroscuro for its dramatic effect; light stands as the absolute protagonist of this nocturnal scene. The shadow-shrouded background contrasts sharply with the radiant apparition of the holy angel. Four distinct light sources animate the composition: moonlight glinting off soldiers' armour; flickering torchlight with shifting, erratic shadows; supernatural sacred radiance emanating from the angel; and soft glow streaming through a window at the bottom, which mingles with the angel's luminescence when the shutter opens. Even though the window aperture visually divides the wall surface into three distinct zones, Raphael unifies the entire composition seamlessly. On the left, a troop of prison guards discover the escape. Their armour glints under the supernatural apparition and wavering torchlight, as they gaze upon the miracle helpless and alarmed. At the centre, the angel appears luminous within the prison cell, visible through heavy dark iron bars. Saint Peter lies bound in chains, fast asleep. The angel's radiance and the illuminated prison cage generate breathtaking spatial depth, the glow permeating every element within the scene, including residual red pigment on the prison stone walls. Peter appears aged and worn. Scholars interpret the fresco as an allegory for the passing of Pope Julius II in 1513, his deliverance from the "earthly prison" of mortal life. Others read it as an allusion to Cardinal Leo X's release from captivity after the Battle of Ravenna. On the right, Peter walks free. The divine messenger leads him by the hand up the stone staircase, while all guards fall miraculously into slumber, crafting an ethereal atmosphere poised between dream and reality. Schones Blatt selten, leicht schmutzig und die ecken etwas gestossen

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $29,999 $1,000
$30,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000