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Barnebys HQ
Brahegatan 10
BOX 5038
114 37 Stockholm
All auctions / Miscellaneous / Italian school (XIX) - Madonna con Bambino
Italian Manufacture, 19th century “Madonna with Child” Measurements: 45 x 38.5 cm (30 x 24 cm) Mixed media on fabric or textile support: drawing/painting and polychrome embroidery with silk threads, with graphic and pictorial interventions for flesh tones and embroidery extensively used in the garments, hair, halos and ornamental details. Subject and description The work depicts the Virgin with Child, represented in an intimate affectionate posture. Mary gently lowers her head toward Jesus, while the Child, seated on her knees, brings his face close to his mother’s and rests a hand on the Virgin’s chest. The composition reaffirms models from Renaissance Marian devotion, reinterpreted through a particularly refined artesanal technique. The faces, characterized by a delicate chiaroscuro and precise drawing, intentionally contrast with the greater materiality of the garments. Of particular interest is the use of embroidery: ultra-thin colored threads follow the drapery and construct the volumetric blue mantle of the Virgin, the red dress, the green-gold drapery of the Child and numerous details. The alternation between drawn surface and embroidered surface gives the image an almost three-dimensional quality. Iconography The setup derives from the tradition of Italian Renaissance Madonnas, later very taken up in 19th-century devotional art. Historical-artistic considerations In the 19th century, parallel to the rediscovery of medieval and Renaissance art, devotional works created with mixed techniques and applied arts enjoyed notable success. In this specimen, the most interesting aspect is precisely the attempt to transform embroidery into painting: the direction and density of the threads are varied to suggest folds, shadows, hair and decorations. It is therefore not a mere decorated textile, but a work conceived as a true figurative image embroidered. Condition report From the photographs, the work appears in generally good conservational condition, considering the particular delicacy of the technique and the presumed age. The embroidery preserves good legibility and a cromie still appreciable, with natural variations and possible attenuation due to age. There are visible slight alterations and superficial irregularities compatible with an ancient textile artifact. The support cannot be fully inspected as the back is protected by a panel. Given the nature of the work, it would be advisable to avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, humidity and large thermo-hygrometric fluctuations. Frame The work is presented within a gilded wooden frame of historicist taste, with an inner carved band and repeated ornamental motifs. The frame shows normal signs of aging, small abrasions and wear of the gilding and is well suited to the devotional character of the image. *** Note on photographs Some of the photographs accompanying this card were professionally taken with controlled artificial lighting, using a studio spotlight, to ensure better legibility of the work and to allow for more precise observation of the pictorial surface, figurative details and chromaticity. The present frame is included as a courtesy - Certificate of lawful provenance and Expertise - Insured shipping and electronic invoicing
Estimate:£424.12
To the auctionView all items fromCatawikiorMiscellaneous
Estimate:
£424.12
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