Architectural capriccio featuring the bath of Bethesda - Viviano Codazzi (1604-1570)
Viviano Codazzi is considered one of the most important 17th century painters of architectural views. His ouevre includes mostly imaginary architecture with scenes of ruins and ideal architecture, displaying a skillful perspective. The figures in his paintings, usually restricted to a relatively small area of the canvas, are never executed by his hand. Other artists would collaborate, including the likes of Domenico Gargiullo, Artemisia Gentileschi, and others.
This work represents the moment immediately after Jesus Christ cures the lame man, when He orders him to "take up thy bed, and walk". The religious scene is dominated by the monumental architecture of the five "porches" mentioned in the Bible. The colonnades around the bath, featuring the different architectural orders, illustrate Codazzi's ingenuity in blending different orchestral styles. Four medallions portraying "Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden", "Adam and Eve Cast From the Garden of Eden", "Adam and Eve Doomed to Toil", and "Cain Slaying Abel", reflect on the original sin and the suffering it brought on man. Alleviating this dispiriting theme is the benevolent scene around the bath, featuring Christ as the Saviour of all men, He who will save his people from the original sin.
Architectural capriccio featuring the bath of Bethesda - Viviano Codazzi (1604-1570)
Viviano Codazzi is considered one of the most important 17th century painters of architectural views. His ouevre includes mostly imaginary architecture with scenes of ruins and ideal architecture, displaying a skillful perspective. The figures in his paintings, usually restricted to a relatively small area of the canvas, are never executed by his hand. Other artists would collaborate, including the likes of Domenico Gargiullo, Artemisia Gentileschi, and others.
This work represents the moment immediately after Jesus Christ cures the lame man, when He orders him to "take up thy bed, and walk". The religious scene is dominated by the monumental architecture of the five "porches" mentioned in the Bible. The colonnades around the bath, featuring the different architectural orders, illustrate Codazzi's ingenuity in blending different orchestral styles. Four medallions portraying "Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden", "Adam and Eve Cast From the Garden of Eden", "Adam and Eve Doomed to Toil", and "Cain Slaying Abel", reflect on the original sin and the suffering it brought on man. Alleviating this dispiriting theme is the benevolent scene around the bath, featuring Christ as the Saviour of all men, He who will save his people from the original sin.