Saint Raphael with Tobias c. 1780

Curator: Giuseppe Sanmartino created this compelling sculpture, Saint Raphael with Tobias, around 1780. You'll notice its constructed primarily from silver, with some added materials for texture. It’s currently held in the collection here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Editor: Well, my first thought is how dramatically lit it must have been when new! All that shining silver catching the candlelight. It has this fantastic tension, the boy looking up at the angel… but also terrified of that emerging fish. Curator: Sanmartino was deeply rooted in the Neapolitan Baroque style, emphasizing dramatic and dynamic compositions. This work highlights the popular religious theme of divine intervention and guidance in human affairs, very much of the artistic moment in that region. Editor: Yes, but even divorced from the specific religious context, there's something about the material itself. The cold, reflective silver gives both figures a certain unearthly quality. The boy especially – trapped between fear and reverence – what must that encounter felt like? Curator: Interesting you point that out, religious iconography throughout the baroque was meant to inspire similar sentiments. It offered a kind of direct relationship to the viewer with spiritual themes by using a theatrical spectacle. The political power and use of imagery, in this case, played a key role in society at large. Editor: I suppose what gets me, beyond the spectacle, is the artist's implied perspective. Sanmartino chooses to highlight the tension between mortal vulnerability and otherworldly assistance, right? Makes you wonder about his personal convictions, or at least, his skillful navigation of powerful institutions at the time. Curator: Precisely! His career flourished under patronage tied closely to the church, giving us a window into those social dynamics and religious ideologies of late 18th century Italy. Editor: So beyond just artistic skill, we can understand this work as revealing the religious culture in which it was born. I suppose now looking at it again I feel I get what it was like for both Sanmartino and a viewer of that period, even with all of its intended drama. Curator: Indeed, this silver sculpture really bridges the historical context with the artist's craftsmanship in a revealing way.