Madonna With Her Hand On Her Chest - Giuseppe Bernardino Bison (1762 - 1844)

Painting,oil on glass, measuring 44 x 35 cm without frame and 52 x 43 cm withframe, depicting the Madonna with her hand on her chest, also knownas Madonna Annunciata, by the painter Giuseppe Bernardino Bison(Palmanova 1762 - Milan 1844).

Bison was one of the mostrepresentative artists of the Veneto region during the transitionfrom Neoclassicism to Romanticism. Our artist was born in Palmanova(UD) on 16 June 1762: his parents (his father was from CastelfrancoVeneto and his mother was Venetian) later moved to Brescia where,noticing their son's interest, they sent him to study drawing withthe painter Girolamo Romani and perspective with Saverio Gandini.

The family then moved to Venice, where the young Bison began toperfect his skills with Costantino Cedini, a figure master at theVenetian Academy. He took his first steps with the set designerAntonio Manso, who directed him towards a taste for set design thatwas to remain a fundamental part of his culture.

In the past, and inparticular since the Middle Ages, glass painting had been theprerogative of the stained glass windows of religious buildings,which specialists in the genre embellished by creating masterpiecesof incomparable beauty: the light reverberated inside, generatingeffects of extraordinary charm.

However, it was limited to thatfield. It was only in the 18th century that evidence began to emergeof painters using glass instead of canvas. Thework in question is a wonderful example of this: the refined andelegant painting recalls the style and aesthetics of the uniqueVenetian painter Giuseppe Bernardino Bison who, in this example,brings into focus all the knowledge of the great painters of the pastbut also of his contemporaries, including, in particular, GiovanniBattista Pittoni, whose influence is clearly evident here.

To corroborate our hypothesis, we hope that, in the meantime, otherevidence will come to light that will allow scholars to expand thecatalogue of works painted on glass. The work is in good condition.