Italian school (XVIII) - Noli me tangere

Italian school of the 18th century

Noli me tangere

Oil on canvas
Measurements: 94 × 76 cm
Measurements with frame: 108 × 86 cm
Period: 18th century (1700/1730)


Description

Interesting painting from the Italian school of the 18th century depicting the Noli me tangere, the biblical episode of the meeting between the risen Christ and Mary Magdalene.

The scene is set inside a walled garden, rich in vegetation and small flowers, beyond which unfolds a landscape with architecture and mountainous reliefs. Christ, standing and partly wrapped in a wide light shroud, turns his gaze toward Magdalene, accompanying the dialogue with a gesture of the hand. The female figure is kneeling at his feet, with her face turned toward Christ and her right arm raised. In the foreground appears the traditional vase of unguents, a symbolic attribute of the saint.

The construction of the figures, the elegance of the drapery, and the deliberately restrained color range, dominated by browns and greens of the background and enlivened by the red of Magdalene’s dress, link the work to the Italian figurative culture of the 18th century, still responsive to 17th-century models.

The setting is particularly evocative: the flowering vegetal wing lifts separates the foreground from the rear landscape and gives the scene a compact and contemplative character.

Frame

The work is presented within a carved and gilded wooden frame, characterized by a broad band of regular grooves, a continuous ribbon-like motif along the outer edge, and a stylized vegetal decoration on the inner edge.

The frame shows a natural patina, abrasions and small losses of gilding, as well as cracks and openings at the corners, clearly documented by the photographs. Overall it preserves a good decorative effect and is coherent with the historical presentation of the work.

Frame to be considered an accessory element.

Condition report

The painting appears in a decent overall state of conservation, considering its age, but with evident past conservation interventions.

The surface shows widespread and marked craquelure, particularly evident in the dark areas, the sky, and around the halos and flesh tones. Surface irregularities, abrasions, small losses, and areas affected by old retouches are also visible.

Close inspection reveals a surface with varnish significantly altered and uneven, which in some areas appears glossy and weighs down the readability of the original tones. Localized lifting and small losses of the pictorial layer are also observed, especially along some margins.

The verso is particularly significant: the canvas shows numerous traces of previous interventions and impregnations, with large areas of different tonalities. There is also a rectangular patch of reinforcement applied to the verso, attributable to a previous restoration intervention. From the photographic documentation the canvas appears mounted on a non-recent wooden frame.

Overall the work preserves good iconographic legibility; a professional cleaning and conservation revision intervention could plausibly improve color depth and readability of the painting, subject to verification of the state of the pictorial film.

Ideal for collecting and investment

- The frame present is included with the sale of the work as a courtesy. Any transport damage related solely to the frame cannot be the subject of refunds or disputes.

Photographic note: Some images of the work were produced professionally with the aid of artificial lighting (studio spotlight) to better highlight the painting characteristics, the material, the color, and the conservation state of the painting. Therefore the perception of colors and brightness may slightly differ from viewing the work under natural or ambient light.

With a legitimate provenance document in accordance with the law - Expertise

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