ANTONIO JOLI | SAMSON DESTROYING THE PHILISTINE TEMPLE OF DAGAN

This large and impressive capriccio by Antonio Joli of Samson Destroying the Philistine Temple of Dagan likely dates to early in the artist's career, when he was working between Modena and Venice. Its dynamic and theatrical character suggests that it may have been inspired by stage design for a play or an opera. Comparable works by Joli of the same subject though with slight variations in the composition are known, including one in the Museo Civico d'Arte in Modena¹ and another that last appeared at auction at Sotheby's Milan in 2001.² While Joli is responsible for nearly all of this incredibly detailed architectural fantasy, he may have had assistance from his studio on the figures that populate the scene.  We are grateful to Dr. Ralph Toledano and Professor Giancarlo Sestieri for independently endorsing the attribution of the present lot on the basis of digital images. Both believe this work may include some intervention from Joli's workshop. 

1. Inv. no. 228, oil on canvas, 118 by 95 cm. See R. Toledano, Antonio Joli: Modena 1700-1777, Turin 2006, pp. 88-89, cat. no. C.1.1, reproduced. 

2. Oil on canvas, 97.5 by 73 cm. Anonymous sale, Milan, Sotheby's, 4 December 2001, lot 203. See Toledano 2006, p. 90, cat. no. C.1.2, reproduced.