1748
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
The Fall of Simon Magus is a 1748 unspecified by Pompeo Batoni, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This painting shows a scene from a biblical story. It depicts a man falling from the sky. The story behind this painting is interesting - it's about Simon Magus, who tried to fly to prove he was divine, but fell when demons stopped supporting him. The painting is likely a copy of a lost sketch for a big altarpiece in Saint Peter's Basilica. This altarpiece was probably damaged by humidity in the basilica. You can learn more about this style by looking at the technique of chiaroscuro.
Saints Peter and Paul came to Rome to win converts to Christianity soon after Christ’s death, while Simon Magus, claiming to be the son of God, attempted to prove his divinity by flying. Due to Saint Peter’s prayers, the demons supporting Simon abandoned him and he plummeted to his death. This work is probably a studio copy after a lost oil sketch for a huge altarpiece commissioned in 1746 for Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. Because of the humidity in Saint Peter’s, which quickly ruined paintings, the work was to have been translated into a massive mosaic. However, for reasons that…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Pompeo Girolamo Batoni (25 January 1708 – 4 February 1787) was an Italian painter who displayed a solid technical knowledge in his portrait work and in his numerous allegorical and mythological pictures.
See the richer artist page
