Antique Painting Virgin Mary With Saints Oil On Canvas '600 Original

Oil on canvas. 17th-century Emilian school.
The scene can be divided horizontally into two parts: in the upper section, Mary and Jesus appear in glory on the clouds of heaven, flanked by an angel on the right and Saint Francis of Paola on the left, identified by the staff he holds, which supports a medallion bearing the inscription “Charitas.”
Mary is conversing with the saint, while Jesus looks down toward the other figures gathered in adoration.
In the lower section, in fact, several other saints appear, recognizable by their specific attributes.
On the right is Saint Gertrude of Helfta, a Cistercian nun who holds a crosier in one hand and points to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on her chest with the other.
On the other side is a group of five male figures, among whom the following can be recognized from left to right: Saint Blaise of Sebaste, an Armenian saint, bishop, and physician, holding in his hands an iron carding brush—the instrument of his martyrdom; Saint Anthony of Padua, in a Franciscan habit and holding a lily; Saint Mark, writing the words of the Gospel in a book as an angel behind him dictates, with a lion crouching at his feet; Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, kneeling in adoration with an angel offering him the lily of purity, and a crown cast at his feet, symbolizing his renunciation of his noble title to join the Society of Jesus.
Several little angels move around these figures.
On the left, connecting the two parts, a column rises vertically, while a blurred landscape can be glimpsed in the background.
The painting features some figures that are more detailed and have well-defined faces, while others are more blurred.
One can observe an effort to create evocative lighting effects and harmoniously contrasting yet balanced colors, lending varied expressiveness and movement to the figures, which intersect and partially overlap while retaining their distinct identities.
The painting comes from an important historical collection in Bologna.
It has undergone restoration and re-lining in the past.
It is presented in a late 19th-century frame.
ARARPI0313773