The present picture and its pendant, both painted on copper, were executed by Franceschini when he was initiating his independant practice in Bologna in the early 1680's - after nearly a decade as chief assistant to Carlo Cignani, the most prestigeous artist in the city during the later years of the century. Both pictures illustrate events related to the two celebrated Maries of Christian history, Saints Mary Magdalen and Mary of Egypt. The pendant to the present painting, representing the Ecstasy of Mary Magdalen, is in the Molinari Pradelli collection at Merano, Bologna (Fig. 1). Franceschini's friend and biographer, Giampietro Zanotti, has provided us with a perfectly plausible dating of 1680 for this commission although sadly he does not indicate for whom they were painted: 'Del MDCLXXX dipinse su due piastre di rame, Santa Maddalena in estasi con alcuni Angeli intorno, e santa Maria Egiziaca communicata dall'Abate Zosimo, le quali furono poi comprate dal Senato di Bologna per farne dono al Papa Clemente XI, che molto ne fu contento.' (G.P. Zanotti, Storia dell' Accademia Clementina di Bologna, I, 1739, pp. 223-4).

The year 1680, indeed, was the same year which saw the completion of Franceschini's first large-scale ceiling decoration, the splendid Allegory of Fortune and the Four Seasons in the Palazzo Ranuzzi (or as it is known today, Palazzo di Giustizia), carried out with the collaboration of the Swiss-born expert in architural painting ('quadraturista'), Enrico Haffner. Professor Dwight Miller (private communication, October 1995) writes, 'In short, this brilliant work which received wide public acclaim, together with the abovementioned two lovely cabinet-size paintings on copper, gave a most impressive account of the ability of this artist, working with youthful verve and imagination, astonishing confidence in his refined classicizing figural style, and exhibiting a most tasteful sensibility for lustruous, blond-coloring. With this debut, it was quite apparent that a brilliant new star now appeared in the artistic firmament.....As time went on Franceschini modified his style toward a more rigorous classicism; but he was never to surpass the superlative quality and beauty of these two powerful efforts.'

As Zanotti noted, the two copper panels were purchased much later - probably circa 1709 - by the Senate of Bologna with the intention of offering them as a gift to Pope Clement XI. Archival research undertaken by Professor Miller has indicated the most interesting purpose and circumstances behind this story (for a fuller discussion of which, see D. Miller, Two Early Paintings by Marcantonio Franceschini and a Gift of the Bolognese Senate to Pope Clement XI, The Burlington Magazine, CXII, June 1970, pp. 373-8). He discovered an exchange of correspondence between the Bolognese Senate and its ambassador to the Papal court, Filippo Aldrovandi, that detailed the initial difficulties encountered in the proposed gift because of the Pope's reluctance to engage in any transaction which might be construed as involving self-interest. However, apparently on viewing the paintings the Pope was so overcome by their beauty that he relented and accepted the gift. It is clear from this and other circumstances that the whole matter was planned by the Senate primarily as a strategy to gain the sponsorship of the Pope for the important communal project of establishing Bologna's first comunally supported art academy.

This idea was successfully pursued ('insegno di paterno amore'), with the additional efforts of the Bolognese aristocrat, Count Luigi Marsili, at that time serving the Papal court as military commander. The academy in Bologna was founded in 1710 with important civic festivities, and to appropriately honor its Papal sponsor it was called the Accademia Clementina. Franceschini's revered master, Carlo Cignani, was selected to head the academy, with the extraordinary title of Principe Perpetuo.

Gianfranco Albani, who on 23rd November 1700 became Pope Clement XI, was a man of learning and a patron of the arts. His collection of paintings and drawings was well known, and he was keen to show it off to visiting dignitaries such as Pierre Crozat who was granted an audience when visiting Rome in 1714 in connection with the negotiations for the Duc d'Orléans' purchase of the collection of Queen Christina of Sweden, from her heirs, the Odescalchi. In the spirit of art patronage of his predecessors, Clement XI initiated major decorative projects in St. Peter's and the Vatican as well as other churches in Rome such as Santa Cecelia, San Clemente, Santa Maria in Travestere and SS. Apostoli. These schemes involved many of the leading Roman painters, including Giuseppe Chiari, Giuseppe Passeri, Benedetto Luti, Marco Benefial, Sebastiano Conca and Carlo Maratta. In the spring of 1711 Clement XI brought Franceschini from Bologna to execute some cartoons for the third chapel on the left ('Cappella avanti il Coro') in St. Peter's. Franceschini stayed in Rome for approximately fifteen months and was at that time knighted by the Pope. In 1720 the title was renewed and he was created 'Cavaliere di Gesú Cristo' as a member of the order of the Militia of San Benedetto.

We are grateful for Professor Dwight Miller for his assistance in cataloguing this painting.