Pamono Circle of Giovanni Battista Salvi Detto Il Sassoferrato, The Madonna, 1690, Oil on Canvas> Old Masters|Classical

Giovanni Battista Salvi, known as Sassoferrato (Sassoferrato 1609 – Rome 1685) workshop/circle
Madonna Praying
Second half of the 17th century
Oil on canvas (57 x 46, framed 78 x 65)

This splendid Madonna, depicted in an intimate moment of prayer, is distinguished by its refined pictorial style and is attributed to the pictorial sensibility of Giovan Battista Salvi, known as Sassoferrato, from the Marche region. Analysis of the crack also suggests a dating compatible with the artist, or perhaps slightly later. A pupil of Domenichino and a refined interpreter of the Renaissance tradition, particularly Raphael, Sassoferrato developed a style of extraordinary formal perfection, with precise drawing and refined brushstrokes creating delicate images of the Virgin.

The artist’s critical and collector success is evident from the countless autographed and non-autographed replicas, in which the attributional distinction is evident, as in our case, in the sustained quality evident in the facial features and, finally, the meticulous chiaroscuro of the unmistakable porcelain rendering of Sassoferrato’s skin, with the chromatic contrast of the deep blue cloak, which further enhances the work’s value.

The artist, supported from the very beginning by a thriving workshop, emerged as the principal creator of this series of iconographies, which met with immediate success for the delicacy and humanity conveyed by the Virgin, portrayed with her hands on her chest, which, like her face, become the focal point of the painting and imbue it with great spiritual pathos.

This is a fine example of a composition the artist repeated on several occasions, including works preserved in the Pinacoteca dei Musei Civici di Pesaro and the Monastery of Santa Chiara in Sassoferrato.

Excluding the rough versions, the most deserving works have been sold at the most selective auctions with significant prices. For example, we can consider some sold at Sotheby’s: among these, the magnificent Madonna in Prayer, in need of cleaning (fig. 1 – Sotheby’s, London, 08/07/2010, lot 154) or the same subject but restored (fig. 2 – Sotheby’s, London, 04/12/2008, lot 193). Finally, we can mention a work very similar to ours, a mirror image of the previous ones and therefore with the Virgin portrayed with her face tilted to the left (fig. 3 – Paris, 26.06.2019, lot 70).

The work is in good condition. Some retouching is present on the surface.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Complete with a non-contemporary antique gilded frame.

The work is sold complete with a certificate of authenticity and an iconographic .