GIUSEPPE ASSERETO (active in Genoa in the 17th century) Saint John the Evangelist Oil on canvas, 88X73 cm During the last year of his life, Gioacchino Assereto (Genoa, 1600 - 1649) was commissioned to paint The Last Supper for the Oratory of San Giacomo alla Marina, the pictorial decoration of which was entrusted to the most esteemed artists of the time, such as Orazio De Ferrari, Giovanni Battista Carlone, Valerio Castello and Domenico Piola. A large canvas with clear Asserettian aspects depicting the Preaching of St. James was also placed in the same place, hence the name Maestro di San Giacomo alla Marina, the author in turn recognised in the personality of Giuseppe Assereto, Gioacchino's son and continuator of the workshop. Related to this painting is the San Girolamo penitente (St. Jerome Penitent) (cf. Wannenes auction of 30 May 2018, lot 598), which, thanks to the monogram, offers a useful attributive confirmation to delineate the artist's corpus. The analysis of the work presented here documents the qualitative standard of Giuseppe who, as Raffaele Soprani had already emphasised, exhibited an extraordinary ability to follow his father's style (cf. R. Soprani, Le vite de Pittori, Scoltori e Architetti Genovesi e de' forestieri che a Genova operarano, Genoa 1674, p. 172) but, in this case, the painting reveals a skilful painterly sprezzatura and an autonomy of craftsmanship that suggests a mature execution. The work is accompanied by a critical card by Camillo Manzitti. Reference bibliography: R. Soprani, G. C. Ratti, Vite de' pittori, scultori ed architetti genovesi', II, Genova 1768, p. 278 T. Zennaro, Gioacchino Assereto e i pittori della sua scuola, Soncino 2011, I, pp. 80-84, vol. II, pp. 585-624