The Annunciation, Girolamo Bonini, Known As "l'anconitano" (ancona 1600 – Bologna C. 1680)

Girolamo Bonini, known as Anconitano (Ancona, c. 1600 – Bologna 1680)
The Annunciation (or Madonna del Bell'Angelo)
oil on canvas (115 x 91 cm. – Framed 134 x 108 cm.)
Work accompanied by an expert report by Prof. Emilio Negro

Complete details of this work can be viewed directly at the following LINK -

The work, undoubtedly commissioned as an object of private devotion, depicts the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary, a Gospel episode centered here on the two figures portrayed in the foreground: the Archangel Gabriel with outstretched wings, depicted with otherworldly beauty, and the Virgin; here she is depicted absorbed in reading a prayer book, her eyes humbly cast downward as a sign of devotion, while a small cherub presents her with white lilies, a symbol of purity and chastity.  
In the upper part of the composition is the austere image of God the Father, with the dove radiant with light—the emblem of the Holy Spirit—surrounded by a flock of angels fluttering among the clouds, which are filled with intense flashes and plays of light, in full Baroque style.
It should also be noted that the image of the Savior’s mother in a delicately devout pose, with her yellow veil, the wide blue cloak, and the customary modest red dress from which the edges of her white blouse peek out, is to be interpreted as a sort of tender allegory of sacred love.
The painting in question is an interesting variation on the composition commissioned from Francesco Albani for the Fioravanti Chapel in the ancient Church of St. Bartholomew in Bologna, inaugurated in 1632, also known as the “Madonna del Bell’Angelo,” thanks to the dazzling beauty of the announcing angel (source: https://baroqueart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;BAR;it;Mus12_D;6;it&cp). [1]
Returning to our depiction, its authorship must therefore be attributed to a talented pupil of Albani who, like his master, was able to present us with a truly masterful composition, skillfully blending the naturalistic style of the Carracci with the rounded lines and lively movement of Roman Baroque art.
Presumably originally commissioned to decorate the walls of a noble chapel, the artist can be identified as Girolamo Bonini, known as Anconetano, (Ancona c. 1600 – Bologna c. 1680), a little-known but highly talented artist who worked primarily in Bologna, as well as in Rome and Venice.
In the City of the Two Towers, he contributed to the frescoes in the Sala Farnese at the Palazzo Comunale, where, under the direction of Carlo Cignani, he painted alongside the equally talented Lorenzo Pasinelli, Luigi Scaramuccia, and Giovanni Maria Bibbiena.
These compositions, like the painting in question, are characterized by an exuberant and captivating liveliness, achieving a combination of light effects and warm hues inspired by the paintings of the master Albani but already softened toward gentler tones that were beginning to lean toward the Rococo style.

[1]Annunciation, Francesco Albani (Bologna 1578–1660), (Church of Saints Bartholomew and Gaetano), 1632

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The painting is sold complete with a charming antique frame and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet.
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