(Val Polcevera 1495–1577/1579?)
The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist,
oil on panel, 101.5 x 122 cm, framed

Provenance:
European Private Collection

We are grateful to Filippo Todini for suggesting the attribution on the basis of a photograph. We are also grateful to Jonathan Bober for confirming the attribution on the basis of a photograph.

Giovanni Cambiaso is mentioned by Soprani in his book dedicated to the lives of Genoese artists (see R. Soprani, Le vite de’ Pittori, Scultori et Architetti Genovesi, e de’ Forastieri che in Genova operarono, Genova 1674, pp. 17–20), where he describes Giovanni as a great admirer of the mural paintings in the Palazzo Doria in Fassolo by Perino del Vaga, Pordenone after 1532, and Beccafumi around 1533–1535.

In fact the present composition is strongly influenced by the work of Perino del Vaga, who was in Genoa from 1528 to 1533, working mainly on decorations for the family palace of Andrea Doria I, following the sack of Rome. Perino brought the new Tuscan-Roman style of painting to Genoa and became a major influence on the artistic scene there.

It has also been independently suggested that the present work may be a joint collaborative work by Giovanni Cambiaso and his son Luca Cambiaso (Moneglia 1527 – Madrid 1585) and indeed the artistic activity of Giovanni Cambiaso is closely linked to the early works by Luca.

Giovanni Cambiaso was an important figure in the artistic development of his son, disciplining him in the art of drawing. Luca learnt to work in the tradition of other artists, which his father considered essential to develop a complex understanding of painting technique. At the early stage of his career Luca was closely associated with his father and depended on him for commissions.