GIOVANNI RAFFAELE BADARACCO (Genoa, 1645 - 1717) Ecstasy of St. Teresa of Avila Oil on canvas, 108X145 cm The painting presented here can be judged among Giovanni Raffaele Badaracco's best creations. The theatrical scenic construction of marked Baroque taste bears witness to Ratti's assertions about the painter's Roman training, recently outlined by Loredana Lorizzo's studies dedicated to Pellegrino Peri, a painting merchant of Genoese origin active in the Eternal City. However, the artist's protean culture is well documented by his biographer, who recalls him as a pupil of Carlo Maratti, an observer of Cortona's manner, who after eight years of study in Rome moved on to Naples and then Venice before returning to his homeland. The painting under examination nevertheless shows a marked adherence to the Baroque pictorial culture inferred from Domenico Piola, Gregorio De Ferrari and Bartolomeo Guidobono, particularly in the choice of colours, the softness of the lighting and the chiaroscuro effects. However, despite its narrative classicism, the rhythm responds well to the Capitoline dictates and this hypothesis is supported by the comparison with the later works, which instead present a more serial valence and the figures captured in motionless poses, as can be seen by observing the Continenza di Scipione of the Oratorio dei Rossi in Gavi Ligure, the execution of which can be dated to the 18th century (Di Fabio). Due to its quality and formal elegance, this work can be compared to the beautiful Coronata cycle, suggesting a date around the middle of the ninth decade. The work is accompanied by a critical card by Anna Orlando. Reference bibliography: R. Soprani, C. Giuseppe Ratti, Vite de' pittori, scultori ed architetti genovesi, Genoa 1768-1769, vol. II, pp. 69-73 C. Di Fabio, Gio Raffaele Badaracco. Quality and industry, in Bollettino dei Musei Civici Genovesi, 14, Genoa 1992, no. 40-42, pp. 61-91 A. Orlando, Dipinti Genovesi dal Cinquecento al Settecento. Ritrovamenti dal collezionismo privato, Turin 2010, pp. 29-30 P. Martini, Giovanni Raffaele Badaracco sulle orme di Casa Piola, in Domenico Piola e la sua bottega. Approfondimenti sulle arti nel secondo Seicento genovese, edited by D. Sanguineti, Genoa 2019, pp. 448-457, fig. 13