Un San Sebastiano di Silvestro dell’Aquila e un San Vito di Saturnino Gatti

The article focuses on the attribution of two unpublished wooden statues respectively realized by two masters of Renaissance sculpture in Abruzzo: Silvestro di Giacomo, known as Silvestro dell’Aquila (whose activity is documented at L’Aquila from 1471 to 1504); and Saturnino Gatti. The scultpure attributed to Silvestro dell’Aquila portrays Saint Sebastian, and is of almost life-size dimensions. It was spotted out inside the church of Santa Maria ad Nives at Rocca di Mezzo, the most renowned village on the upland of «Le Rocche», in the nearbies of L’Aquila; it was the birthplace of Cardinal Amico Agnifili, who happened to be Silvestro’s patron. The second statue, by Saturnino Gatti, represents Saint Vitus and is hold in the homonymous church at Colle San Vito in the municipal district of Tomimparte; this sanctuary is at a short distance from the church of Saint Pamphilus in Villagrande at Tomimparte, which was frescoed by Gatti between 1490 and 1494. An analysis of the contexts for which the sculptures were conceived, along with convincing comparisons with other works by the two artists, led us to attribute the first statue to the late production of Silvestro, and the second one to the full maturity of Saturnino.