Heavenly Vision With Madonna And Child, Saint Onofrio, Magdalene And Devotees.

Tempera on paper, late 17th - early 18th century.
In the center, within an almond of clouds, the Madonna and Child is depicted, seated on a throne on a cloud. Separated from the sky by a central grotesque masked head from which festoons and ribbons hang, a ground level opens up dominated by a highly elaborate central heraldic shield, with a red and black diagonal partition, floral ornaments and golden borders, probably linked to the client.
On the sides of the main coat of arms, in a symmetrical position, there are two groups of six kneeling devotees, dressed in simple tunics, in the act of praying towards the divine vision. The clothes suggest a bourgeois or artisan context. The symmetry and the even number suggest the union of two families.
This sheet is a refined example of painting on paper with a religious and heraldic subject, datable to the late 17th century or early 18th century, in excellent condition. Its function is clearly devotional and celebratory, linked to the Marian cult and the private devotion of one or more families. It could also be a commemorative document with votive and genealogical value.
The union of the Madonna and Child, Saint Onofrio (symbol of penance and hermit life) and Mary Magdalene (emblem of conversion and mystical love) reinforces the spiritual and penitent message. The simultaneous representation of the patrons and their noble weapons inserts the image into a dimension of family memory.
Technique: Tempera and ink on paper
Dimensions: 29 × 42 cm
Proposed date: late seventeenth century – early eighteenth century (late seventeenth - early eighteenth century)