Carlo Maratta (1625 – 1713), Circle of - Madonna in preghiera

Scope of CARLO MARATTA
(Camerano, 1625 – Rome, 1713)
Madonna in Prayer
Oil on canvas, cm. 70 x 50
Frame size cm. 91 x 71 x 6 approx.

NOTE: Publication catalog of the Intermidiart collection works (pdf). Unsigned painting. Certificate of Guarantee and Legitimate Provenance. Painting with gilded frame (defects):

We present in the catalog an interesting oil on canvas of good quality, which with refined devotional grace depicts a fortunate theme of Roman painting at the turn between the 16th and 17th centuries: the Virgin Annunciata (or Madonna in Prayer).
The iconographic subject revisits the Marattesque typology of the praying Virgin or depicted at the moment of the Annunciation, a theme replicated with variants by the main pupils of the circle (such as Giuseppe Chiari, Agostino Masucci or Niccolò Berrettoni). The painterly execution shows a delicate chiaroscuro modulation in the face, resolved in three quarters and inclined downward as a sign of humble acceptance of the divine will. The transition of soft shadows and the careful study of the garments – characterized by the typical flowing yet geometrically orderly drapery – directly recall the mature production of Maratta.
The painting presents the stylistic and formal characteristics typical of the Roman figurative culture of the second half of the seventeenth century, dominated by the mastery of Carlo Maratta. The Marchean master codified an ideal of devout grace and composed classicism that became the indispensable reference model for religious painting of the time, spread capillaryy both by his very active workshop and by a dense circle of collaborators and followers.
Historically the work bears a collector’s attribution to Tommaso Conca (Rome, 1734 – 1822); this reference, while shifting the chronology of the canvas toward the late Baroque, testifies to the persistence of the successful Roman classicist tradition and the influence exerted by Marattesque models on the next generations of Capodic painters. However, compared with the formal solutions and the execution typical of Conca, the clear monumental firmness and the fluid movement of the veil lit with gold lean toward attributing the painting more to the Maratta circle from the late 17th to the very early 18th century. The painting constitutes a precious testimony to the widespread fortune of Marian devotion in the classicist style within the contemporary collecting market.
The painting is in good overall conservation, structurally stable and fully legible.
The original canvas had previously benefited from a careful re-stretching intervention that guarantees excellent tension of the support. On the paint film there is a natural and dense reticulation of craquelure (aging crackling), typical of oil binders of the period and perfectly stable.
The color transitions and the delicate glaze of the flesh tones are well preserved; only minimal, old restorations are recorded localized on the dark background and along the peripheral margins. The surface is protected by a natural varnish that shows a light and physiological oxidation, useful to give the work a warm patina of the era without altering its strong chiaroscuro structure.
The painting is enriched by a gilded frame, of grand effect (frame measurements are cm. 91 x 71 x 6 approx., presence of defects).
"The frame shown in the photos above has been added to the artwork by the seller or by a third party. The frame is supplied at no additional cost so that it is ready to display as soon as it arrives. The frame is included as a courtesy and is not considered an integral part of the artwork. Therefore, any potential damage to the frame that does not affect the artwork itself will not be accepted as a valid reason to open a claim or request order cancellation."

provenance: Private Collection Sicily

PUBLICATION:
- UNPUBLISHED QUADRENERA, General catalog of the paintings of the Intermidiart Gallery collection by Andrea Maggio, 2026 (pdf).

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