This painting has been generously sponsored by Frank & Phyllis Angello

Described by Francesco Sansovino in his Venetia città nobilissima et singolare (1581) as a work by “Antonello da Messina,” the “Christ Supported by Angels” remains in its original location—the Sala dei Tre Capi of the Council of Ten in Palazzo Ducale—after more than four centuries. The panel painting did however leave Venice for more than a century. Seized by the Austrians in 1797, it was taken to Trieste and then arrived in Vienna in 1807, where it was exhibited as a work by Antonello da Messina in the Imperial Gallery until 1919, when it returned to Venice.

The painting features a signature on a small, fictive scrap of paper, known in Italian as a cartellino, painted on the sarcophagus with the inscription “ANTONIVS / MESANESIS.” Despite this apparent attribution to Antonello da Messina, the painting’s authorship has been the subject of scholarly debate for over a century. Antonello was a seminal figure in the Renaissance, credited by the 16th-century art historian Giorgio Vasari with introducing oil painting techniques to Italy. During his stay in Venice from 1475 to 1476, Antonello produced several influential works, including the now largely lost San Cassiano Altarpiece, the Pietà currently housed at the Correr Museum in Venice, and, as some suggest, the Christ Supported by Angels at the Palazzo Ducale. However, a significant group of scholars argue that the canvas was not painted by Antonello himself but rather by his workshop assistants, likely Salvo d’Antonio or Antonio de Saliba. They propose that these assistants, particularly Salvo, might have designed the composition after Antonello’s Correr Pietà. This hypothesis is supported by stylistic comparisons with other works attributed to Salvo, such as his Dormitio Virginis (lost) and Christ at the Column (Detroit Institute of Arts), the latter of which was recently reattributed to him. It is also crucial to consider that, as documented in various cases with Antonello da Messina, the signature on a painting often signifies the inventor of the model, in this case, Antonello, rather than the actual executor of the work.

The attribution to Salvo d’Antonio warrants closer examination. As the son of Antonello’s brother Giordano, Salvo was trained in Antonello’s workshop alongside the de Saliba brothers. Salvo emerged as a distinguished painter, leaving his mark across various cities in Sicily, including Messina and Catania, as well as in Calabria and Malta. His prowess was such that, upon the death of Antonello’s son Jacobello, Salvo assumed leadership of the workshop. Salvo also stands out as one of the few local artists who successfully integrated and introduced into Messina’s art scene the innovative styles he encountered during his time in Venice. His admiration for Giovanni Bellini is particularly evident. This influence is most clearly seen in the panel painting from the Palazzo Ducale, especially in the angel’s face cradling Christ’s head, which closely resembles the Child’s face in Bellini’s Madonna of the Red Cherubim at the Accademia Galleries.

The panel painting is currently in poor condition, exhibiting significant wear and deterioration. Two vertical cracks run through the sides of the panel. Additionally, the painting suffers from abrasion and lifting, whereas a thick layer of dust, overpainting, and oxidized varnish further obscures its appearance. The conservation treatment will address these issues, including disinfestation to eliminate wood-boring insects, non-original surface residues will be thinned and removed, and the areas of flaking paint will be stabilized. Finally, cracks and paint loss will be filled using removable conservation paints, ensuring the restoration is both reversible and respectful of the painting’s integrity.

Salvo d’Antonio (1461 – 1522/26) or Antonio de’ Saliba (1466 – 1535) [attr.]
Christ Supported by Angels
1485 – 1490, oil on panel
135 x 110 cm
Palazzo Ducale

Skorupa, Thomas. Antonello da Messina and His Workshop: The Mater’s Legacy. Berlin: Logos, 2015

Sricchia Santoro, Fiorella. Antonello: i suoi mondi, il suo seguito. Florence: Centro Di, 2017

Sricchia Santoro, Fiorella. De Antonio, Salvo (Giovanni Salvo). In Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, 52. Rome: Istituto della enciclopedia italiana, 1987, pp. 316-318. Link to the article