Trinity Fine Art Traces the Shift from Mannerism to Baroque at TEFAF

"Fontana is a rare example of a woman Old Master, one of only a few who managed to attain career success on her own and was the first woman elected to the Academy of Saint Luke in Rome. This painting is one of the most ambitious from her early career. Reflecting visual references to Michelangelo-a departure from her usual reference to Correggio and Raphael-the vibrant hues and dramatic composition reflect prevailing Florentine trends of the late 16th century."

"Dated decades after Fontana's work, The Penitent St. Jerome (1610) by Orazio Gentileschi-the father of acclaimed Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi-signals a key moment in the history of Italian painting. Potentially the last example of this subject by Orazio available on the art market, it is also among the most well documented."

"Focused almost entirely on the aged saint, in showcases a synthesis of late Mannerist training and heightened sense of drama of that would come to define the Baroque."

The late 1500s and early 1600s marked a pivotal shift in European painting as artists moved beyond Mannerism toward Baroque aesthetics. Trinity Fine Art presents three significant works illustrating this transition at TEFAF Maastricht 2026. Lavinia Fontana's Christ Driving the Traders from the Temple (1580) represents ambitious early career work by one of few successful female Old Masters, incorporating Michelangelo's visual language within Florentine trends. Orazio Gentileschi's The Penitent St. Jerome (1610) signals the transition's culmination, synthesizing late Mannerist training with emerging Baroque drama. The third work, The Holy Family by Giulio Cesare Procaccini, completes this artistic trajectory, demonstrating the period's stylistic evolution.

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