Sebastiano Conca - "our Lady Of The Rosary" On A Rare Baroque Carved Frame With Glass Inlays.

An exceptional "Madonna of the Rosary" with Saints Dominic and Rose of Viterbo, attributed to the painter and master from Gaeta, Sebastiano Conca (1680–1764), whose name appears on the frame—likely as an 18th-century inventory entry—which, given the style and quality of the painting, we can consider reliable.

Conca executed numerous versions of the “Madonna of the Rosary” for ecclesiastical institutions in Rome and the Lazio region; this iconography enjoyed enormous success during the first half of the 18th century, making it possible to draw stylistic and qualitative comparisons with other known “Madonnas of the Rosary”; one to which we can certainly refer is the one in the Capodimonte collection in Naples, dated 1732, and given its non-monumental dimensions, it too was intended for private devotion. In this work, one can recognize a similar use of light and brilliant hues, as well as the same airy atmosphere created by the architectural composition of the background—featuring monumental fluted columns—from which fluttering drapery in shades of turquoise extends.

The frame housing the painting warrants special attention due to its extraordinary quality and rarity; it is finely carved and inlaid with painted glass inserts. Such craftsmanship—demonstrating remarkable artistic and technical skill—is documented in Rome as early as the 1660s, executed by carvers within Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s circle. A prominent figure among them was the renowned Pisan carver and decorator Antonio Chicari (active 1650–1671), who worked for the Chigi family at the Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia, creating ephemeral displays, elaborate carvings, sculptural decorations, furnishings, and more. Consequently, the frame can be dated to at least fifty years prior to the painting itself.

The canvas measures 50 cm x 65 cm; the frame’s outer dimensions are 72 cm x 88 cm.

The painting is on display at our gallery in Foligno, Piazza Ettore Giacomini, 42.

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