Interior of the Oratorio del Santissimo Rosario in Santa Cita: Altar Wall--page 5 (of 5 pages)

Giacomo Serpotta
begun 1685, with the nave walls and back wall substantially completed by 1688; the stucco decoration of the chancel was begun in 1717





The allegorical figure of Faith, seated on a cloud, looks down from above the chancel arch. "A great gilt banner above her, shaken out by two seraphs, breaks up and complicates the curve of the arch" (Garstang 72).

 
Esther and Judith, depicted as elegant aristocratic women, are situated on opposing sides of the chancel arch.

Left side: Esther
 

Right side: Judith, whose beautifully shod foot plays with the head of Holofernes
 

The fifth of the "Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary": Finding Jesus at the Temple

This tableau follows from the Presentation or Circumcision which terminates the left hand nave wall.
 

The Crucifixion

Four of the "Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary" were represented on the right hand nave wall; the fifth is depicted on the right hand side of the chancel arch.
 

Details of the entablature


Return to page 1--Entrance Wall.


Works Consulted or Quoted:
Garstang, Donald. Giacomo Serpotta and the Stuccatori of Palermo 1560-1790. London: A. Zwemmer, 1984.
Grady, Ellen. Sicily [Blue Guide]. New York: Norton, 2006.
Wittkower, Rudolf. Art and Architecture in Italy 1600-1750. Baltimore: Penguin, 1958.

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© 2010 Mary Ann Sullivan. I have photographed (on site), scanned, and manipulated all the images on these pages. Please feel free to use them for personal or educational purposes. They are not available for commercial purposes.