After Carlo Maratta, Untitled, Late 17th Century, Oil on Canvas, Framed

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Period: 17th century Style: Other Style Condition: Good condition Material: Oil painting Width: 79Height: 92 A refined oil painting on … Read more Period: 17th century Style: Other Style Condition: Good condition Material: Oil painting Width: 79Height: 92 A refined oil painting on canvas depicting the Madonna and Child, attributed to the workshop of Carlo Maratta (Camerano1625 – Rome 1713), one of the leading figures of lateBaroque.The Virgin, with a gentle and pensive face, barely veiled by aslight shadow of melancholy, gazes intimately at the Infant Jesus, holding himin a gesture of intense protection. Unlike the more common iconography,the Child is not presented to the viewer, but almost hidden fromthe outside gaze, in a maternal gesture that seems to anticipate the awareness ofthe Son’s sacrificial destiny.The composition perfectly embodies the devotional sensibility of the Counter-Reformation: the affectionate naturalness of themother-son relationship blends with a lyrical and composed solemnity, in accordance with that figurative language that aimed to make the sacred more human, closer, and spiritually accessible.The work derives from a famous prototype of a similar subject created by Carlo Maratta, now preserved at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, reinterpreted here with significant variations in the Virgin’s features, the drapery, and the composition of the background. Compared to the softer, more Correggese atmosphere of the original model, this version reveals a more mature and naturalistic classicism, typical of Maratta’s late work and that of his circle. Particularly noteworthy is the bold foreshortening of the Child, a compositional solution found in the master’s preparatory drawings and testifying to the inventive quality of the original model. Dimensions:92 x 79 cm (with frame), 67 x 54.5 cm (without frame). ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The work is sold accompanied bya certificate of authenticity and guarantee. See less