D. Sanguineti, Per Domenico Piola, giovanissimo: l'Apparizione di Gesù Bambino a sant'Antonio da Padova

The appearance, in a private collection, of an unpublished painting, destined for private devotion, representing the Apparition of the Child Jesus to St. Anthony of Padua, justifies a specific presentation motivated by the very high stylistic quality attributable to the young Domenico Piola (1628- 1703), around 1646-1647. The article proposes the inclusion of the painting within the catalogue of the Genoese painter, with all the multiple references to cultural models, in particular Giulio Cesare Procaccini, Rubens and Valerio Castello. In addition, the representative choice is placed in connection with the novel Vita e miracoli di S. Antonio di Padova, written by the Genoese Luca Assarino and published in Genoa in 1646: Piola would seem to be influenced by the narration of the episode of the apparition, which was secretly witnessed by a Paduan nobleman who was hosting the saint in his home.