Circle Of Benedetto Luti - 18th Century Pastel Of The Madonna.

A fine and contemplative 18th century Italian pastel on paper portrait of the Virgin in contemplation by an artist in the circle of Benedetto lute (1666-1724). This graceful, intimate and vibrantly coloured work has been sensitively rendered by the hand of a master artist

The soft, delicate and luminous Head of the Virgin demonstrates how well the medium of pastel painting can convey the contemplative nature of its subject.

Benedetto Luti (1666 - 1724) Luti was a Florentine painter who trained under Anton Domenico Gabbiani before moving to Rome in 1690. He was elected to the Accademia di S. Luca in 1694 and quickly rose to prominence as one of the leading painters of the early eighteenth century. His earliest known work is God Cursing Cain (1692, Derbyshire, Kedleston Hall). In Rome, he worked for many of the leading Roman families and decorated a ceiling with an Allegory of Diana in the Palazzo de Carolis. He also painted portraits, in both oil and pastel, which were widely collected. Aside from his practical artistic activity, Luti was also renowned as a collector and teacher and acted as an art dealer and agent. After he died, his collection of Old Master drawings, reputed to contain around 15,000 sheets, was bought by the dealer William Kent (not to be confused with the artist and architect William Kent, who had studied under Luti in Rome some 40 years earlier and died in 1748). The drawings were brought to London by Kent and sold at two auctions in December 1760 and December 1762.

Sheet: 51cm x 38cm Framed: 65cm x 53cm