Offered by Antichità Castelbarco
The Announcing Angel
Lucrina Fetti, née Giustina Fetti (Rome, c. 1590 – Mantua, 1673) attributed to
Oil on canvas 75 x 62 cm. - Antique gilded wooden frame 87 x 74 cm.
The work on offer, characterized by a refined sacredness, depicts the Archangel Gabriel as he is about to deliver the supreme announcement to the Virgin, offering her the traditional white lilies, a symbol of purity and chastity: it is a splendid subject, executed with great stylistic quality, likely commissioned for private use and therefore particularly pleasing and easy to place.
The Angel takes the form of a young man of rare beauty, with delicate features, wrapped in a precious robe with soft drapery, all marked by an intense classicism, where a balanced composition directs the viewer’s attention to his face.
The painting is attributed to the Baroque painter Lucrina Fetti, born Giustina Fetti (Rome, c. 1590 – Mantua, c. 1673), the younger sister and pupil of the better-known painter Domenico Fetti, from whom she learned the secrets of the craft in their father’s workshop in Rome, and who later became a painter at the court of the Gonzagas in Mantua.
The artist’s style is influenced by theatrical painting, rich in chiaroscuro contrasts and the brilliant colors typical of the Baroque style—all characteristics inherited from her brother.
Moreover, the depiction of our angel features the recurring facial traits of her religious figures: full cheeks, small but full lips, and an intense gaze. Her artistic style was strongly shaped both by her Roman family upbringing and by her long devotional work at the court in 17th-century Mantua, carried out within the convent of Sant’Orsola, where she carved out a role of great cultural and social prestige.
The delicate features of the angel’s face, depicted here in a three-quarter view, exemplify the grace of the painter’s models and can be found in works such as the Archangel Gabriel (ref. 1) or the Annunciation (ref. 2), both part of the collection of the Museo di Palazzo Ducale in Mantua.
Delevery information :
We take care of and organise the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers.
We take great care We personally take care of the packaging, to which we devote a great deal of care: each work is carefully packed, first with arti- cle material, then with a custom-made wooden box.
Should you have the desire to see this or other works in person, we would be happy to welcome you to our gallery in Riva del Garda, Viale Giuseppe Canella 18, we are always open by appointment only.
