Antique Painting Virgin Mary Copy From Guido Reni XVIII Century

Oil on canvas.
The work is one of numerous copies, with some variations, of the famous subject painted by the Bolognese artist Guido Reni (1574–1642) and his workshop. The composition, which depicts the Virgin in prayer, bent over to adore the sleeping Child, is considered a creation of Reni’s brilliant genius; following its great success among collectors of the time, it was later taken up by other 17th-century artists, among whom Giovan Battista Salvi, known as “Il Sassoferrato,” stands out.
The two most famous variations of this fascinating scene depict the Virgin with her hands clasped in prayer, as in this example—a treatment adopted by Salvi—or with her hands on her chest, in the typical Reni style.
Other variations concern the position of the sleeping Infant Jesus’s head—facing upward, as in this version, rather than reclined on its side—and the background fabrics also differ.
However, the intensity of the scene also stands out in this replica: spanning it horizontally is the child’s body, abandoned to rest, where the divine nature yields to the human in sleep; above it, leaning in a gesture that is both protective and contemplative, is Mary’s body, which expresses all maternal tenderness but also, in the gesture of her hands, adoration of the incarnate mystery represented by her little son.
The vivid colors of the fabrics—the pillow on which Jesus lies, the drapery in the background, the Mother’s garments—bring out the luminosity of the flesh tones.
The painting was restored in the mid-20th century.
ARARPI0302697