Annibale Carracci (1560-1609), Seguidor de - Santa Margherita d'Antiochia

Italian School of the 17th century
Follower of Annibale Carracci (Bologna, 1560 – Rome, 1609)
Title: Saint Margaret of Antioch (after the original in the church of Santa Caterina dei Funari, Rome)
Technique: Oil on copper
Copper dimensions: 22 x 16.5 cm (cabinet format)
Frame: Included, old carved and richly gilded wooden frame with high-relief mouldings
This exquisite cabinet painting is a remarkable devotional reduction of the monumental altarpiece that Annibale Carracci painted in 1599 for the Bombasi chapel in the Roman church of Santa Caterina dei Funari. Despite the reduced scale of the metal support, the composition preserves its noble, classical character. The martyr is crowned, resting her left arm on a stone pedestal where the liturgical inscription SURSUM CORDA (Lift up your hearts) stands out clearly. In that same hand she holds the sacred book and the palm of martyrdom, while theatrically pointing to the heavens with the index finger. At her feet, in the lower left corner, the chained figure of the demon in the form of a dragon is visible. The scene is set against a background of a wooded landscape and a twilight fortress, resolved through lighting effects characteristic of the Bolognese Classicism.
Conservation Status (Technical Analysis)
Front: Good overall legibility. The paint layer adheres firmly to the copper, with fine, natural craquelure due to aging. Minimal perimetric wear at the edges due to historical mounting with the frame and light, old touch-ups in the peripheral areas of the background are noted.
Back: The copper plate shows a noble, dark and heterogeneous patina, unmistakable proof of the metal support’s age between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It is secured to the peripheral stretcher with antique metal rivets.
Frame: The carved and gilded wooden structure shows natural movement cracks at the corner joints and slight losses of stucco or gilding that do not diminish the piece but attest to its authenticity and period character.
Reference Bibliography
Posner, D. (1971). Annibale Carracci: A Study in the Reform of Italian Painting around 1590. Phaidon. (A foundational study where the iconographic importance and aesthetic impact of Saint Margaret in the late 17th-century Roman painting scene are analyzed).
Bellori, G. P. (1672). Le vite de' pittori, scultori et architetti moderni. Rome. (Classic source documenting the enormous devotional fervour provoked by Carracci’s design, which led to commissions of high-quality replicas on portable supports for private collections).
From a private collection
Note:
“To ensure the safety and perfect condition of the work, depending on its size and nature, transport and delivery may be carried out by the seller.”