The National Galleries of Ancient Art have completed the restoration of two important paintings from their collections - the Sant’Onofrio by Battistello Caracciolo (Naples 1578 – 1635) and The Tribute of the Money by Luca Giordano (Naples 1634 – 1705) which will be exceptionally exhibited at the Galleria Corsini from July 18 to October 27, 2024.

The two restorations were carried out by the Laboratory of the National Galleries of Ancient Art thanks to the proceeds raised from the sale of Vino Civitas, which on this occasion also renewed the commitment of the Civita Association, in partnership with Tenuta Caparzo di Montalcino, to support the restoration of particularly significant works of the museum, following the agreement signed since 2019 and ongoing until 2025.

Part of the proceeds from the sales of Vino Civitas in recent years have already allowed for the restoration of the Madonna of the Milk by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo and the start of interventions on an eighteenth-century console from the Corsini Gallery, while a new intervention on the Lucrezia by the School of Guercino has already begun and will be completed in 2025.

The Sant'Onofrio (oil on canvas, 180 x 116 cm.) is a work created between 1615 and 1618 by Battistello Caracciolo, one of the first followers of Caravaggio during his stay in Naples and also one of the most talented artists who experimented with the new techniques introduced by Merisi.

In this painting, the artist staged the effects of the extreme asceticism of the saint, who had taken refuge in the desert for over sixty years after renouncing his royal origins. The scene is made even more raw by the dark background and the "Caravaggesque" light coming from the back right, highlighting the physical strain of Onofrio leaning on a stick, his emaciated and worn-out figure covered only by leaves, characterized by a long beard and white hair. 

The just completed restoration - directed by Yuri Primarosa and carried out by Laura De Vincenzo and Vega Santodonato - allows for a full reading of the painting and its chromatic values, as well as confirming the centrality of drawing in Battistello's technique revealed by diagnostic investigations. The discovery of a continuous mark on all four sides about 10 cm from the edge of the canvas (incompatible with the framing of a "room painting") has also allowed to specify the hypothesis of an ancient origin of the painting from a church, perhaps as a side altarpiece.