Giacomo Minasi - Maria Mater Gratiarum

"Maria Mater Gratiarum".
A rare and refined high-commissioned popular devotional print by the engraver Giacomo Minasi, faithfully transposing a painting invention by Pietro Saja. The work stands at the pinnacle of southern neoclassical engraving at the beginning of the 19th century and is characterized by an exceptionally gentle chiaroscuro, especially in the volumetric transitions of the faces and in the draperies, executed in the typical style Minasi learned across the Channel.
The sheet carries extraordinary historical-political significance, tied to the cultural propaganda of the Bourbon dynasty in exile in London during the Napoleonic Wars.
In that climate of war and precariousness, the Bourbon court used art and religion as propaganda tools.
To project Ferdinando's image as the "Most Devout King" (Re Pientissimo), defender of the Christian faith against atheism or secularization brought by the Napoleonic invasion.
To strengthen the link between the divine right of the King and the people in the territories that remained faithful (Sicily and part of the indomitable Calabria).
The exemplar is preserved within its important original period frame from the 19th century, fitted on the back with a historical wrapping closure never tampered with.
Distinguishing the piece is the inner metal passepartout in embossed brass sheet with raised floral motifs and period gilding, an element that indicates the luxury character of the original artifact.
The wooden structure and the rear wrappings are intact. The inner metal sheet shows an authentic, stable patina of the era, with microscopic dark areas from natural oxidation of copper/zinc at the points of thinning of the microscopic original gilding, an element considered of great documentary value for antique collectors.
Good overall conservation state. The sheet shows natural foxing and browning of aging paper due to organic aging of the period and the centuries-long present under glass, which attest to its absolute integrity.
The work has not been examined outside the frame to preserve the original sealing.
The wooden structure and the rear wrappings are intact. The inner metal sheet shows an authentic and stable era patina, with microscopic dark spots from natural oxidation of copper/zinc at the thinning points of the microscopic original gilding, an element considered of great documentary value for antique collectors of Southern Italy.
Giacomo Minasi engraved this plate in London, which at the time was the world capital of publishing and art printing. In the English graphic market of the 18th and 19th centuries, it was a strictly regulated custom (often tied to copyright laws such as the Copyright Act) to insert the exact publication date (Publication Line) beneath the image to protect the plate's intellectual property.
Minasi combined this technical habit with the sacred commemorative purpose.
In short, that "25 December 1810" transforms the print from a simple religious object into a true political and faith manifesto, launched from London and Bourbon Sicily against Napoleon's hegemony in Europe.
Rarity!