Chicago’s oldest Jesuit school
We were truly thrilled to be a part of this project. Thank you to Henry Ceffalio, Saint Ignatius Archivist, and to the historic school for trusting our firm to solve this mystery!
Our firm was engaged by Saint Ignatius College Prep, Chicago’s oldest Jesuit school founded in 1869, to research a monumental altarpiece that has been hanging in their impressive galleries for over a hundred years.
This newly attributed 18th‑century Italian altarpiece at Saint Ignatius College Prep in Chicago has been identified as the work of Giorgio Anselmi, a Veronese painter active in northern Italy in the mid‑ to late‑18th century. The altarpiece measures over 8 feet tall and has been hanging in their impressive galleries for over a hundred years.
Mary Alice Jouve and Carrie Baker of Veritas Art and Henry Ceffalio, Archivist at Saint Ignatius College Prep, led a multi‑layered research project that combined close visual analysis, archival inquiry, and comparative study of documented works by Anselmi. Camillo Manziti, a renowned specialist in 18th-century Italian art, played a pivotal role in the attribution itself.
This attribution significantly elevates the work’s art‑historical importance within the school’s collection and within the broader narrative of Jesuit visual culture.
We are always thrilled to tie histories together through objects – for Saint Ignatius College Prep, this attribution confirms that the school is the steward of a significant 18th‑century Italian altarpiece by a recognized Baroque master, not merely a devotional painting of uncertain origin.
