The painting “Help to Genoa” was made in 1634 as a young artist for the Salon of Kingdoms in the Buen Retiro Palace, commissioned by the Duke of Olivares.
This huge canvas reflects the historical episode of 1525, when the ally of Spain, Genoa, was occupied by the troops of the Duke of Savoy, who had the support of Cardinal Richelieu. A squadron of Spanish admiral Marquis de Santa Cruz, who came to the aid of Genoa, liberated the Genoese Republic. In the composition of the picture is felt the influence of the work of Velasquez “Surrender of Breda.”
In the center of the canvas we see a Genoese doge dressed in red clothes, with a bow greeted the Marquis who had liberated the city. The artist with great care writes retinue of the admiral, trying to give every Spaniard accurate psychological characteristics.
The Genoese artist stops his attention only on the figure of the Doge. He is surrounded by guards with halberds, some of them have their backs turned and their faces are very schematic. The background is a landscape with a silhouette of Genoa and Spanish ships at sea.
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