Christ In The House Of Mary And Magdalene - Francesco Bassano (1549 - 1592)

Painting oil on canvas, measuring 82 x 112 cm without frame and 100 x 130 cm with contemporary frame, depicting Christ in the house of Mary and Magdalene by the painter Francesco Bassano the Younger (Bassano del Grappa 1549 – Venice 1592), painted between approximately 1570 and 1580.

This fine, unpublished canvas, of remarkable quality, has notable points of interest with its enlarged format, the basket full of food, the glimpse of the fireplace with its twilight background and a particular, delicate and very sweet light.

We can see how the brush is full of material, which is expressed through a very accurate description of the characters, both in their clothes and the folds of them, in the sparkle of the plates and metal containers, and in the truly vivid colours of the characters' clothes.

These are all characteristics of Francesco Bassano, the youngest and most talented of Jacopo Bassano's sons and collaborators.
One of Francesco's characteristics, which is very evident in this painting, is his ability to render the flashes of light that snake between objects or people, or the great concreteness in unfolding the work obtained through the contrast of light that emphasises the volumes, the mellow colour and his energetic and confident brushstrokes that make his art and this painting truly majestic.

In my opinion, the work was created between 1570 and 1580, because there was a period of close collaboration between his father Jacopo and Francesco, during which the qualities and characteristics that would make the painter unique in his genre became most evident.