Giovanni Battista Gallone nella scultura lignea di primo Seicento a Napoli : nuovi documenti e qualche proposta attributiva

The Genoese sculptor Giovanni Battista Gallone was one of the main artists doing wooden sculpture in Naples in the early seventeenth century. This article reexamines his career in the light of two unpublished documents: an indenture (which provides his year of birth) with the foremost Neapolitan wood sculptor of the time, Aniello Stellato, and the commission contract for a monumental tabernacle for Mineo (Catania). A chronological ordering of Gallone’s corpus is presented, with the addition of some new works within the Kingdom of Naples and beyond. Based on documentary evidence, stylistic analysis, and handwriting comparison with his colleagues, the study seeks to interpret his artistic and personal identity, as well as the motivations of his clientele. Among the latter, the Ruffos of Scilla and Licodia Eubea appear to have played a significant role and can be considered among the key figures in the circulation of Neapolitan wooden sculpture in eastern Sicily.