Adoration Of The Child Jesus – Italian School, Late 16th – Early 17th Century

Oil on canvas in its original carved, ebonized, and gilded wooden frame.

Dimensions: Height 154 cm – Width 122 cm This large oil on canvas depicts the Adoration of the Child Jesus in a theatrical and luminous composition typical of late Renaissance Italian painting, already imbued with early Baroque influences.

In the center, the Virgin Mary presents the Child Jesus, offered for adoration by a group of angels and saints. To the left, cherubs bear offerings, and above, a winged cherub descends from the heavens, holding a crown and lilies, symbols of purity and divine glory. In the background, a kneeling female figure—perhaps Saint Anne or Saint Elizabeth—silently participates in the scene, in a light softened by clouds and foliage.

The scenography is structured around a strong vertical axis, with the Virgin Mary, standing, dominating the composition, while the oblique lines of the draperies and clouds lead the eye to the Child, the spiritual center of the work. The space opens onto a twilight landscape, painted in brown and blue tones.

The supple and vibrant style reveals an Italian hand from the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, likely from a workshop in Emilia or Lombardy.
The broad and luminous brushstrokes evoke the masters who followed Correggio or Federico Barocci, whose influence is evident in the softness of the faces and the blending of tones.
The red and blue draperies, the golden chiaroscuro effects, and the pyramidal composition also recall the works of Giovanni Battista Paggi or Arpino's Cavaliere.

The warm palette, dominated by golden ochres, deep browns, lapis blues, and crimson reds, is typical of the Mannerist transition to the Baroque. The contrasts between celestial light and earthly shadows reflect an intimate and triumphant spirituality. The work is presented on its original canvas, in its original frame, made of carved, ebonized wood and enhanced with gilded floral motifs at the corners.
The painting surface shows some localized wear and restoration, consistent with its age. The scene, drawn from the iconographic tradition of the Nativity and the Adoration, celebrates the mystery of the Incarnation. The cherubs bearing the heavenly crown and the lilies recall Christ's victory over death and the immaculate purity of the Virgin.

The pastoral setting and open sky reflect a desire to unite the earth and the divine in a single space of light. Northern Italian School, probably Emilia or Lombardy
Circle or follower of Federico Barocci (1535–1612) or of a painter between Correggio and the Bolognese Baroque (Le Procaccini, Paggi, or Caccianemici).

Estimated date: circa 1580–1620

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