Giacinto Diano (Pozzuoli 1731-1804 Naples)

Professor Nicola Spinosa confirmed the attribution to Giacinto Diano and identifed the painting as a preparatory sketch for the ceiling of the Palazzo Cellamare in Naples, the then residence of the Michele Imperiale, Prince of Francavilla (private communication with the vendor). The present picture can therefore be dated to the early 1780s when Diano was at the height of his fame and artistic powers. There are other known preparatory sketches for the ceiling that bear resemblance to the present picture, most notably one in monochrome, Apotheosis of a Prince (also called Apotheosis of a Victorious Commander) from the Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart. The compositional resemblance with this picture is striking, extending even to the arrangement of the figures in the spandrels. The other sketches include two in the Pisani collection, Naples, which are limited to some of the peripheral figures; a polychrome bozzetto, IAllegory of a Prince received to Mount Olympus in the Acton Collection, Naples; and Allegory in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Brest, also in monochrome. The present painting is larger than these other two compositions and depicts the elevation of an armed figure, a prince or a field commander, to Olympus--where he is received by Jupiter and the other gods.