Offered by Galerie Thierry Matranga
Oil on panel. Italian School, Marche region, second half of the 17th century, after Sassoferrato.
Our composition is based on the very famous Virgin in Prayer by Giovanni Battista Salvi, known as Sassoferrato (Sassoferrato 1609 – Rome 1685), of which many versions are known, notably the one preserved in the National Gallery in London, which presents a framing similar to ours.
With great boldness, our painter departs from the original execution to offer us a completely new vision. His way of playing with color and light radiates an ineffable softness from his Virgin with a cherubic face, whose features dissolve into a painting in sfumato. These techniques are reminiscent of the work of the genius from Urbino, Federico Barocci (Urbino 1535 – ibid. 1612).
And if we did not know the work of Sassoferrato, we would be tempted to classify this devotional painting as the work of an artist from the circle of Federico Barocci.
In conclusion, like a true homage to both “marchigiani” artists, our painter has subtly borrowed the art of each to renew an iconic work.
Our painting is elegantly set in a French carved and gilded wooden frame from the Louis XIV period.
Dimensions: 34 × 25.5 cm – 45 × 37 cm with frame