Susannah and the Elders (Guercino) explained

Susannah and the Elders is a 1650 oil on canvas painting, now in the National Gallery in Parma.^[1]

History

It was commissioned by Paolo Parisetti (1602 - 1661), a count from Reggio-Emilia and a collector of contemporary Bolognese artists who was particularly interesting in moralising or devotional works.^[2] The artist's account book mentions the payment on 25 May 1650, but the commission may have been up to a year earlier.^[3] It remained in collections in Reggio-Emilia until the early 20th century, when it was inherited by Maria Calvi Tornielli Parisetti, a count in Parma, who sold it to its present owners in 1907.^[4]

References

1. Barbara Ghelfi, 'Scheda dell'opera'; in Lucia Fornari Schianchi (ed.) Galleria Nazionale di Parma. Catalogo delle opere, il Seicento, Milano, 1998
2. Guercino e la pittura emiliana del '600, a cura di Claudio Strinati e Rossella Vodret, Catalogo della mostra a Palazzo Zabarella, Padova del 2000; Marsilio editore, Venezia, 2000
3. Luisa Viola, 'Scheda dell'opera', in Guercino, poesia e sentimento nella pittura del '600 a cura di Denis Mahon, Massimo Pulini e Vittorio Sgarbi, Catalogo della mostra a Palazzo Reale, Milano nel 2003; DeAgostini, Milano, 2003
4. Web site: Catalogue entry.