Francesco Bassano, circle. Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. Early XVII century

Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane 

Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Early 17th century.
Circle of Francesco Bassano. (Bassano del Grappa, 1557 - Venezia, 1622)
Venetian School.

Dimension with frame : h 105cm x larg. 134cm
Painting in good condition, with excellent preservation of the original canvas, sewn from two fragments due to the large size of the painting.
Old frame in gilded wood, from the 18th century.
The subject of Christ praying in the Garden of Olives was widely used in Bassano's painting, probably due to the originality of the nocturnal light, very rare in Renaissance painting.
In the painting of the Bassano dynasty the representation of nocturnal scenes becomes very frequent, which allows painters to create lightning effects, unexpected magical contrasts. This passion for the night, the darkness, the contrasts of light anticipates the painting of the Caravaggio school and the Dutch school of the following century.
This painting is the work of an artist from the circle of Francesco Bassano, who in turn takes up the tradition initiated by his father, Jacopo Bassano, a great Venetian painter of the late Renaissance.
The painting is a version of the canvas kept at the Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, another variant is present at the Ringling Museum in Sarasota.

The Gospel recounts Christ's last prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, where, betrayed by Judas, he was arrested. During the prayer, Christ said: “My Father! if possible, let this cup pass away from me; however, not as I want, but as you.

In the center of the composition is a kneeling Christ before an angel offering him a cup. In the foreground - three disciples of Christ, embraced by sleep - Peter, James, John. On the right, in the distance, the light of the torches illuminates the guards entering the Garden of Gethsemane with a crowd of people, ready to take Christ.