Satan before the Lord
by GIAQUINTO, Corrado, Oil on canvas, 88 x 117 cm
The painting depicts God addressing a devil, who in turn points downward. The devil has the usual attributes of the fallen angel: dark colouring, bats’ wings, pointed ears.
The painting has a pendant: Job Sacrificing to God to Ask for Blessings on His Sons. The lunette shape of the two compositions, their dimensions, and the swift manner in which they were executed suggests two sketches for frescoes, perhaps part of a more extensive cycle. The two paintings were first attributed to Sebastiano Conca then to Corrado Giaquinto. However, neither attributions are convincing.