The Annunciation, Antonio del Ceraiolo (Active in Florence, second-fourth decade of the 16th century) Attributable

Antonio del Ceraiolo or 'il Ceraiolo' (Active in Florence, second-fourth decade of the 16th century)
Attributable

The Annunciation

Oil on canvas (99 x 137 cm. – In fine vintage box frame 121 x 163 cm.)

The complete details of this work can be consulted directly from the following – LINK –

The superb annunciation proposed, most likely commissioned for private devotional use or perhaps for a church chapel, given its size, is a valuable work with an effective devotional intensity, capable of involving and fascinating the viewer.

It presents itself with a rather consolidated iconographic scheme, with the Archangel Gabriel on the right, of an ethereal beauty, who appears with an imperious air while offering the supreme announcement to the Virgin Mary; suspended in flight above a cloud, with one hand he holds the white lilies, symbol of purity and chastity, while the other points to the dove irradiated with light, emblem of the Holy Spirit, surrounded by a halo of intense flashes and plays of light.

The work is ascribed to the pictorial movement of the early sixteenth century in Tuscany, an extraordinarily happy artistic period which saw a succession of leading artistic personalities, making Florence one of the nerve centers and most influential for painting of the time.

By carefully analyzing the characteristics of style and composition, the canvas is ascribed in our opinion to the catalog of Antonio del Ceraiolo, active in Florence between 1520 and around 1538, of which it shows the typical stylistic characteristics, the symmetry of the composition, the purity of physiognomies and particular devotionality.

Mentioned by Vasari as a painter of valuable altarpieces, he was a pupil first of Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio, and then of Lorenzo di Credi, both very successful and esteemed painters in the first half of the sixteenth century, but was greatly influenced by the culture of the school of San Marco and the painting of Fra' Bartolomeo.

Emblem of the beauty of the Florentine Renaissance, the structure of our Annunciation is based solely on the two sacred figures, where the total absence of spatial setting stands out, which explicitly testifies to the simplified way often adopted by Ceraiolo. Even the composure of the characters who stand out clearly against the background recalls the silhouettes of his figures, often arranged symmetrically facing each other. We can mention by way of comparison the ''Saint Catherine of Siena and Saints'' of 1515-20 (Santa Trinita, Florence, Imm.1), or the ''Madonna with Child and Saint John'' (Christie's Auction, London, 30 November 1979, n. 52, Imm. 2) and also the ''Christ in the house of Martha and Mary of Bethany'' of 1524 (Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen, Berlin, Imm.3)

The Virgin wears a thin veil that encircles her hair as a sign of modesty in the work just mentioned, a blue cloak, the symbolic color of the sky and a reminder of her role as Queen of Heaven, and a red habit.

Finally, we can compare the particular technique used by the painter for the rendering of faces and complexions, with the cheeks highlighted by an intense rosy shade also seen on the nose which stands out from the pale complexion, with a Female Portrait, perhaps a study (Private collection, Holland , Image 4) where there is that same faint smile on the lips.

Considering that the Annunciation was among the most requested subjects in Florence at the time, the present composition can be compared with other similar subjects executed by our painter, such as the two works, respectively depicting the Virgin and the Announcing Angel once in the church of S.Caterina delle Ruote in Florence, ca. 1524, now the Museum of the Academy of Cortona (Imm.5), and also the Annunciation in the Museum of Palazzo Vecchio in Florence (Imm.6)

Imm.1: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Antonio_del_ceraiolo,_santa_caterina_da_siena_e_santi,_1515-20_ca._02.JPG
Imm. 2: http://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/36568/Antonio%20del%20Ceraiolo%2C%20Madonna%20c…)
Imm.3: http://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/36355/Antonio%20del%20Ceraiolo%2C%20Cristo%20in…
Imm.4: http://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/36434/Antonio%20del%20Ceraiolo%2C%20Ritratto%20…
Image 5: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Antonio_del_ceraiolo,_annunciazione,_dalla_distrutta_chiesa_…
Imm.6: https://catalogo.beniculturali.it/detail/HistoricOrArtisticProperty/0900293185

Good storage conditions.
Valuable 16th century Tuscan box frame, lacquered in black with typically Renaissance gold decorations.

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