Artwork Page for The Fall of Simon Magus

Details / Information for The Fall of Simon Magus

The Fall of Simon Magus

c. 1745–50

studio of Pompeo Batoni

(Italian, 1708–1787)
Culture
Italy, 18th century
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
Framed: 207 x 133 x 10.5 cm (81 1/2 x 52 3/8 x 4 1/8 in.); Unframed: 183 x 108 cm (72 1/16 x 42 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1983.217
Public Domain
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Location
217 Italian Baroque
Print

Description

Saints Peter and Paul came to Rome to win converts to Christianity soon after Christ’s death, while Simon Magus, claiming to be the son of God, attempted to prove his divinity by flying. Due to Saint Peter’s prayers, the demons supporting Simon abandoned him and he plummeted to his death. This work is probably a studio copy after a lost oil sketch for a huge altarpiece commissioned in 1746 for Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. Because of the humidity in Saint Peter’s, which quickly ruined paintings, the work was to have been translated into a massive mosaic. However, for reasons that remain unclear, Batoni’s mosaic was never created.
A vertically oriented oil painting with an arched top depicts Simon Magus falling headfirst from a sky of swirling clouds, surrounded by people, all with light skin tones. Below, a man in a yellow cloak kneels, gesturing upward, while a muscular man in white cloth extends his arms. In the foreground, a woman in a red dress sits cradling a child. Figures gather around stone columns and a statue, reacting to the scene.

The Fall of Simon Magus

c. 1745–50

Pompeo Batoni

(Italian, 1708–1787)
Italy, 18th century

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