Carlo Caliari Carlo Caliari, detto Carletto

(1570 - 1596)

In a carved and gilded frame.

Catalogue Notes:

The son of Paolo Caliari, known as Veronese (1528–1588), Carlo Caliari, also known as Carletto, was one of the most accomplished interpreters of his father's artistic tradition, to which he brought a distinctive sensibility, characterised by greater expressive intimacy and particular attention to detail.

The present painting finds a significant precedent in Paolo Veronese's The Penitent Mary Magdalene, held at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa (inv. 3530), whose compositional arrangement it closely follows: the positioning of the seated figure, the gesture of the hand raised to the chest, the upward gaze directed towards the angelic apparition, and the landscape setting. Carletto reinterprets his father's model through a more intimate composition and a greater sense of narrative intimacy, while also retaining echoes of Titian's celebrated depictions of the Penitent Magdalene, particularly in the rendering of her flowing hair and the intensity of her expression.

Of particular interest is the presence, on the tree trunk to the right, of the inscriptions "CARLO F" and "CCVF", the latter possibly standing for Carlo Caliari Veronese Fecit. The presence of these two forms of signature is of considerable documentary significance, especially in light of the frequent difficulties in distinguishing works by Carletto, who died prematurely at the age of twenty-six, from those produced in his father's workshop. The reference to the name Veronese further emphasises the artist's conscious continuity with his father's artistic legacy, of which the present painting offers a refined and highly personal reinterpretation.