Scuola europea (XVII) - Madonna con Bambino in fasce

17th century,
Madonna with baby in swaddling clothes
Oil on copper, 22 x 16 cm – With frame, 31. 5 x 26 cm

The work, of modest dimensions, is made in oil on copper, a type of support that was very popular in the sixteenth century and which almost completely disappeared towards the end of the seventeenth century. The subject of the work is the Virgin Mary, crowned and dressed in sumptuous and richly decorated clothes, in particular in the edge of the cloak which features very fine gold thread textures, while she tenderly holds the baby Jesus close to her, wrapped in blue and white. The spiritual dimension of the depiction is amplified by the setting in which any reference to the earthly world disappears, as happened in the late Gothic era, but without the use of the typical gold backdrops. The Virgin's feet are hidden by an inverted crescent moon, onto which a hem of Mary's dress protrudes with unexpected naturalism. Everything is framed by blue clouds that fade onto the white backdrop. The presence of the crescent moon, symbol of the Immaculate Conception and virginity, and of the crown on Mary's head, refer to verse 12, 1-2 of the Apocalypse of John the Evangelist: "Then a great sign appeared in the sky: a woman dressed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars. "
Rather similar to this work, is that of Sassoferrato (1609-1685) created in 1650, in which we see the Madonna with child (not in swaddling clothes, but dressed in a red tunic) clasped in an embrace. At the feet of the sitting virgin, the crescent moon and all around clouds and cherubs. IN general the depiction of the Virgin on a crescent moon is a depiction that developed in the West from the late Renaissance

The frame is provided free of charge, therefore it cannot be a reason for return or complaint.

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