Scipione Pulzone (Gaeta, 1544 – Rome, 1598) Madonna's workshop

Scipione Pulzone (Gaeta, 1544 – Rome, 1598) workshop of

Madonna

Oil painting on canvas
cm. 55 x 43 – In frame cm. 63 x 51

Full details of the painting (click HERE)

This delicate yet intense portrait depicts the Virgin Mary, with her head covered while her gaze turned downwards, most likely observing the body of the baby Jesus, whom we can imagine placed on her lap or in the traditional cradle, but we also find her similarly in the typology of the Virgin of the Annunciation.

From the analysis of the work, of excellent qualitative level, we are inclined to limit its authorship to an author, presumably active in Rome between the 16th and 17th centuries, finding a direct comparison with the works of Scipione Pulzone (Gaeta, 1544 – Rome, 1598), one of the greatest exponents of late Mannerism as well as one of the most original interpreters of the Counter-Reformation era.

Famous for his skills as a portraitist, he was also a creator of devotional images of Raphaelesque and timeless influence, masterfully interpreting the post-Tridentine ideals, as can be seen from the care taken in the very refined rendering of the facial features in our canvas, still close to the Mannerist taste of Florentine origin.

A direct comparison can be made with the Virgin from the collection of the Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth House, reported by Federico Zeri (imm.1 Zeri Photo Library, no. 32006), but also, considering it as a smaller version of larger paintings, with the Madonna of Divine Providence executed by Scipione for the Barnabite Fathers (imm.2 Rome, San Carlo ai Catinari, chapel of the Fathers) and with the Virgin depicted in the Holy Family of the Borghese Gallery (imm.3 inv. 313).

This iconic depiction of the Virgin was a resounding success, as evidenced by the various versions by Pulzone cited in various archival sources, as well as the re-enactments created by his workshop to satisfy the numerous requests from both ecclesiastical and private clients.

An example of illustrious derivation is the Blessed Virgin by Marcello Venusti today in the Galleria Borghese (imm.4 inv. 178), considered a copy of the painting by Scipione Pulzone, and also the Virgin, again taken from the same prototype and the work of a painter from the circle, preserved in Villa Borghese Pinciana in Rome (imm.5).

The large number of copies still existing, originally intended as icons for the private worship of the faithful, proves the immense success of this image.

1. https://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/32006/Pulzone%20Scipione%2C%20Madonna
2.https://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/32149/Pulzone%20Scipione%2C%20Madonna%20con%20…
3.https://catalogo.beniculturali.it/detail/HistoricOrArtisticProperty/1201008074
4. https://www.collezionegalleriaborghese.it/opere/madonna-da-scipione-pulzone
5.https://catalogo.beniculturali.it/detail/HistoricOrArtisticProperty/1201007957

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The painting is sold complete with a pleasant golden frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and descriptive iconographic card.

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