Giuseppe Marchesi, il Sansone (1699-1771) - Sant'Anna

We thank Prof. Daniele Benati for suggesting the attribution after examining high-resolution digital photographs.
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This monumental Saint Anne is a qualitatively remarkable work and a significant addition to the catalog of Giuseppe Marchesi, il Sansone (Bologna 1699-1771) . The attribution finds precise confirmation in various other works by the artist, including the Presentation in the Temple sold by Sotheby's, Milan, on 17 November 2008, lot no. 44.
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A pupil of Marcantonio Franceschini, Sansone was one of the most eminent Bolognese painters of the eighteenth century. He soon emancipated himself from the tendencies of the late Baroque by offering an original interpretation of classicism which combined the chromatic intensity derived from Carracci with the delicacy of the design inherited from his master.
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The stylistic complexity of this painting, at the crossroads of multiple influences and probably dating back to around 1730, shows how Giuseppe Marchesi's painting had already acquired an international scope, capable of comparing itself both with Northern European models and with the traditions of central Italy. southern, with a stylistic flexibility comparable in some ways to that of Corrado Giaquinto.
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A hieratic figure but at the same time full of maternal sweetness, Saint Anne is portrayed here in all her humanity, stripped of any supernatural character, to the point that she could easily be confused with a sibyl. The angular and plastic drapery, generated by a powerful brushstroke, contrasts with the imperturbable serenity of the woman, from whose face the passing of the years does not seem to have taken away the grace in the slightest. This was a sign that must have referred to the intensity of his faith.
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Bibliography on the artist:
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*R. Roli, "For eighteenth-century painting in Bologna: Giuseppe Marchesi", Paragone, XII (1971) , 261, pp. 15-30.
*R. Roli, "Painting in Emilia Romagna in the first half of the eighteenth century", in Painting in Italy. Il Settecento, I, Milan 1990, pp. 266 ff.
*B. Di Meola, DBI Treccani 69 (2007) , ad vocim (https: //www. treccani. it/enciclopedia/marchesi-giuseppe-detto-il-sansone_(Dizionario-Biografico) /) .
*TO. Mapieri et al. (ed.) , Leggiadro barocco: the youthful activity of Giuseppe Marchesi known as il Sansone, Genoa 2023.
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Notes and technical data:
Oil on canvas, 95 x 73 cm. The painting is accompanied by a beautiful period frame, made of carved and gilded wood (approximately 107 x 85 cm) , which is offered free of charge.
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Origin:
Important private collection, Vienna.
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#Tableau. Q1