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Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione

A Pagan Sacrifice

c. 1645–50
Oil paint on tan laid paper, laid down on cream wove paper
57.6 × 42.5 cm (22.7 × 16.7 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

This monumental painting on paper, formerly in the collection of Lord Kenneth Clark, is a superb example of Castiglione's mature style. It demonstrates not only the impact of artists he encountered in Rome, such as Rubens and Poussin, but also the audacious technical innovations he initiated, painting fluently with pigment and oil on paper. The obscure pagan subject was undoubtedly aimed at a select and erudite Roman audience.

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