Virgin and Child. Oil on canvas. 19th century, following models by SANZIO, Rafael (Urbino, 1433-Rome, 1520). Framed painting showing the Virgin Mary with the Child in her arms, both holding a book, and placed against a natural landscape with buildings to the right. The frame leaves a tondo visible, showing the figurative composition, and, when removed, a series of figurative and vegetal elements (grotesques) can be seen in the corners with a clear Renaissance influence, also present in the rest of the work. This Madonna is clearly inspired by another, known as the Conestabile Madonna, which is in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, a work by Raphael Sanzio, dated around 1504 and which was acquired in Perugia by Count Conestabile della Staffa and later acquired by Tsar Alexander II and given to his wife, Maria Alexandrovna. The frame in which it is kept in the museum is the original of the piece, which measures 17.5 centimetres high and 18 centimetres wide. Considering the quality of this piece, it is worth highlighting the subtle differences it presents with respect to the work it is inspired by (size, book cover, details in the brushstrokes, etc.). Throughout the 19th century, it was very common for important houses, artists, etc. to commission painters to create works inspired by their favourite pieces (whether these were in museums or in the residences of noble or aristocratic families), in the same way that casts of important sculptures were commissioned.
· Size: 33x5,5x34 cms / int: 20x20 cms.
ANTIQUES
Ref.: ZF1158
