From all of us here at The Alexander 909 Gallery to you - A Very Merry Christmas and all of the best to you and yours in 2013.
Madonna and Child
Sassoferrato
c. 1650 canvas
Provenance: From a chapel in Mauerbach, 1772 in the gallery detectable
Madonna and Child
Giovanni Battista Salvi, called Il Sassoferrato (Italian, 1605-1685)
Sassoferrato was a Roman Baroque painter who is perhaps best known for his many luminous and pious images of the Virgin. The Madonna and Child with shows Mary cradling the sleeping Christ Child tenderly in her arms. With his rosy cheeks and plump arms and legs, the Christ Child appears as a typical, healthy baby. Mary is shown as a radiant young mother. This image endows the Virgin and Child with human qualities and celebrates the natural maternal bond between mother and infant. This bond is emphasized by the manner in which Mary embraces Jesus, resting her cheek on his head.
The rich, warm golds and pinks, and the soothing blue of Mary's shawl lend peace and tranquillity to the composition. Sassoferrato's clean, crisp lines, exemplified by the finely executed folds of drapery, reveal his command of classical Baroque painting techniques. This painstaking craftsmanship contributed to his renown.
Description from Loyola University Museum of Art changed from the "with cherubs"
Title Information from Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna
