Elisabetta Sirani Attr., Bologna 1638 - 1665; Madonna With The Sleeping Child, Oil On Canvas

Elisabetta Sirani attr.
Madonna with the sleeping Child
Olio on canvas
in 32,87x24,41

Stylistic and figurative references place the work in central Italy, and more specifically within the Bolognese context of the second half of the 17th century. Clear echoes can be found of the representation of the Madonna Adoring the Child by the renowned painter Guido Reni. This is a 17th-century painting depicting the iconic Reni-inspired image of the Madonna kneeling before the sleeping Child. Within Reni’s circle, two main variants of this subject are documented: the first, closer to the original, shows the Virgin with hands clasped in prayer and is associated with the follower Giovanni Battista Salvi, known as Sassoferrato, and his circle; the second, identical to the present composition, shows the Virgin kneeling with her hands on her chest in an attitude of reverent devotion and adoration. This version was painted by the Bolognese artist Elisabetta Sirani and is preserved in the museum of the Church of the Girolamini in Naples. An attribution to the Bolognese painter is strongly supported by the quality of the flesh tones and the rendering of the drapery. The chromatic range and stylistic features further confirm this attribution, clearly linking the work to the painting in Naples.

From the critical analysis, Dott. Michele Peli
The painting is accompanied by:
Expertise Dott. Michele Peli

in 32,87x24,41

Provenance
Private collection

The painting, relined, shows slight and negligible signs of retouching from previous restorations.