Annibale Carracci, Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist, The Silence, 16th Century, Oil Painting on Canvas, Framed

Details

Description

Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist (known as 'The Silence')

School of Annibale Carracci (Bologna 1560 - Rome … Read more Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist (known as 'The Silence')

School of Annibale Carracci (Bologna 1560 - Rome 1609)

Oil on canvas (73 x 89 cm - Framed 86 x 101 cm)

The Madonna and Child Sleeping with Saint John the Baptist (known as the Madonna of Silence, or simply 'The Silence') is an oil on canvas painting by Annibale Carracci created between 1599 and 1600. It is currently in the Royal Collection, exhibited at Hampton Court Palace in London.**

This small painting, distinguished by its exquisite luminous quality and typically devotional character, was executed during the period in which Annibale Carracci was completing the frescoes of the Palazzo Farnese in Rome, his most important work.

Despite its modest size, the work exudes grandeur: each form is clearly delineated with the classical sobriety typical of Carracci's style, all enveloped in a suffused atmosphere, with the figures emerging from deep shadows.

We can also admire these characteristics in our valuable copy, in which great attention has been paid to detail, especially in the delicate facial features.

The painting depicts an intimate, domestic scene, with the Madonna delicately raising a finger to her lips, signaling silence to John the Baptist not to wake the sleeping baby Jesus.

This simple yet powerful gesture, commanding silence so as not to disturb the child's sleep, is an invention derived from Michelangelo and found in a red pencil drawing of his from around 1540, in which it is John the Baptist, rather than Mary, who raises her finger to her lips (Portland Collection, Holbeck, Nottinghamshire).

The work's symbolic meanings are enchanting and complex, with the idea of ​​Christ sleeping as a prefiguration of his future sacrifice, evoked by the altar-like appearance of the panel and the shroud-like sheet on which he sleeps. This correlation is found in several works by Raphael, such as the Madonna del Diadema (Louvre), in which the lifting of the veil is a symbol of revelation, alluding to the cloth covering the chalice during Mass and the shroud that covered Christ's death.

The Virgin could be interpreted as a warning to John not to awaken Christ from the Passion before his time.

The gesture of the young John, who reaches out to touch Christ with his tiny hand, is similar to that of the child curiously reaching out to touch the crown of thorns in Annibale di Capodimonte's Pietà (https://catalogo.beniculturali.it/detail/HistoricOrArtisticProperty/1500625741), suggesting that the painter was developing ideas for both paintings simultaneously. Both of these works follow a striking, carefully balanced pyramidal composition, with the crucial gesture of the Virgin, the dominant figure of the composition, holding the center.

Among the most illustrious names who have adopted the design, we can mention the version by Domenichino (or attributed to his school) and preserved at the Louvre in Paris, probably painted around 1605, therefore very shortly after the original, or a square composition by Sassoferrato.

** Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist ('The Silence')
c. 1599-1600 - Oil on canvas - 51 x 68 cm - Hampton Court Palace, Royal Collection, London

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The painting is sold complete with a gilded frame and comes with a certificate of authenticity and an iconographic . This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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