Nicolo Bambini in Barban

Oltarnu palu s glavnog oltara župne crkve sv. Nikole u Barbanu, koja se u stručnoj literaturi spominje kao rad venecijanskog kasnog manirizma s početka 17. stoljeća, autorica nizom formalnih i stilskih komparacija povezuje s opusom Nicole Bambinia (1652-1736.). Sačuvani arhivski dokumenti pokazuju da je slika nabavljena za novoizgrađenu crkvu u prvom desetljeću 18. stoljeća, te predstavlja prvu značajniju narudžbu iz unutrašnjosti Istre u venecijanskim radionicama u osvit novog stoljeća.Altarpiece of St. Nicholas with St. James and St. Anthony Abbot at the main altar of the parish church in Barban has usually been dated as belonging in the period of late Venetian mannerisim and Palma\u27s circle of followers. The archive research, however, show that in 1659, at the time of a pastoral visit, the altarpiece was not yet in the church and the guilded main altar was decorated by the statues of saints. The rennovated church and the marble main altar were consecrated in 1701 and the altarpiece commissioned. By means of a comparative analysis, the painting has been attributed to Venetian painter Nicolo Bambini (1652-1736.). Starting from the baroque painting in the tradition of tenebrism, adapting and combining the inf luences of the 17th century baroque classicism of Rome and Bologna, and Padovanino\u27s classicist idealizations of the Venetian neocinquecento, Bambini evolved towards a decorative, neo-Veronese trend in Venetian painting, charting the path for a full affirmation of rococo in Venice. The Barban altarpiece, although conventional in composition, reveals a similar blend of tradition and various influences in Bambini\u27s evolution. The soft, translucent chromatism of the sky in the background, as well as the immediacy of the figures, indicate a prevailing Venetian tradition. On the other hand, soft forms and summarily shaped draperies on the Barban painting recall »The Adoration of the Magi« (1704-1708) in the church of St. Zaccaria and the supraportas in the library of the Archibishop\u27s Palace in Udine (1711), while in terms of typology the figure of St. Nicholas is closest to St. Matthew, from the same cycle in Udine