Simone Pignone (1611/14-1698), Follower of - Heilige Margareta von Antiochia

Simone Pignoni (1611–1698), (Circle/_following), Saint Margaret of Antioch with the Dragon, Italian School of the 17th Century.

Oil on canvas, 68.5 x 55 cm, lined and stretched on canvas.

Condition: age-appropriate, but very good condition. Craquelure across the entire painting surface as well as a yellowed varnish, which gives the painting a certain mood. Photos are part of the condition description.

Provenance: Private collection, Berlin.

The present painting shows Saint Margaret of Antioch as a youthful half-figure in combat with the dragon, the emblem of conquered evil. The saint wears a deep red garment and a blue-gray mantle. Her lowered gaze and the gentle modeling of the face stand in a striking contrast to the raised hand and the cross-staff directed at the dragon.

The depiction shows an extraordinarily close compositional correspondence with Saint Margaret by Simone Pignoni (1611–1698) in the Bavarian State Painting Collections, Inv. No. 2374. Notable, however, are the differences in painting execution. While the Munich version features a more animated, decoratively worked hairstyle and a softer overall modeling, the present painting is characterized by a more compact head form, a more restrained treatment of the hair, and a contrast-rich, plastically emphasized depiction of the dragon.

These differences could point to an autonomous, possibly earlier version of the composition, arising within Italian painting of the 17th century. The possibility of a common older pictorial source is also to be considered in art history. A secure chronological sequence of the two versions cannot be established on the basis of current research.

The concentrated lighting, the strong colorfulness, and the inward conception of the Saint point to the visual language of the Italian Seicento. The close connection to Pignoni’s composition makes the painting an interesting variant of this Baroque saint image.

Comparison literature / reference work: Simone Pignoni, Saint Margaret, Bavarian State Painting Collections, Staatsgalerie at the New Palace in Schleissheim, Inv.-No. 2374.