Beginning Dec. 18, 2025, the National Gallery of Liguria will expand its exhibition with a major new acquisition: theAdoration of the Shepherds by Salvatore Castiglione, painted around the mid-17th century. The work, purchased by the Ministry of Culture, joins the collections housed in Palazzo Spinola, the museum’s historic headquarters in the center of Genoa. On the occasion of the Christmas holidays, the canvas is presented to the public inside the 18th-century hall on the second piano nobile, where it will remain on temporary display. The location allows it to be placed in a particularly valuable architectural context, encouraging a close reading of the painting and its complex attributive story.
In the past, theAdoration of the Shepherds had been attributed to Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, known as Grechetto, a central figure in seventeenth-century Genoese painting. However, a recent restoration has returned a decisive element for the reinterpretation of the work: the discovery of the initials “SC” in the lower part of the composition. The detail has made it possible to trace the painting more precisely to the hand of the younger brother Salvatore Castiglione, also allowing a dating between 1645 and 1650. These are the years immediately following the famous Adoration of the Shepherds made by Grechetto for the church of San Luca, a fundamental reference for understanding the artistic context in which the work is placed. The acquisition assumes an important role in the process of reconstructing the catalog of Salvatore Castiglione, an artist whose production remains less investigated than that of his brother, but not without quality. In the painting, elements emerge that attest to a full expressive autonomy, recognizable in the rendering of Saint Joseph’s face, characterized by an intense physiognomic definition, as well as in the attention given to the kneeling shepherds and the animals that populate the scene. The presence of details helps to introduce an everyday, concrete dimension, a distinctive feature of the work.
TheAdoration of the Shepherds can thus be considered one of the painter’s first independent trials. In later years, Salvatore Castiglione also obtained commissions from Ansaldo Pallavicino, the former owner of the palace that now houses the National Gallery of Liguria. This historical connection strengthens the dialogue between the work and the museum venue where it is now preserved and exhibited. The canvas comes from the historical collection of the Descalzi family of Chiavari, now dispersed. Its presence is documented at the family home as early as 1826, a fact that helps delineate the work’s collecting path before it entered public collections. A special guided tour dedicated to the painting, curated by Gianluca Zanelli, director of the National Gallery of Liguria, is scheduled for Thursday, December 18, at 4 p.m. The initiative accompanies the public presentation of the new acquisition and offers an opportunity to learn more about the historical and artistic context of the work. Participation requires a ticket of 6 euros, with free admission reserved for holders of the Card Musei Nazionali di Genova and those eligible. Places are limited and reservations are required through the Palazzo Spinola e-mail address.
 |
| Genoa, Palazzo Spinola acquires Salvatore Castiglione's Adoration of the Shepherds |
Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.
