The Infant Christ asleep with the cross

The present canvas represents the infant Christ, asleep and partially wrapped in white and orange drapery, his cheek resting against the wooden cross he cradles in his arm. With his closed eyes and recumbent posture, the infant anticipates Christ after the Deposition, and the rocky natural landscape behind him prefigures the Entombment. In the clouds above hover two cherubs, represented only by a head and pair of wings, as they frequently appear in 18th century Bolognese painting. The soft brushwork and color palette are likewise characteristic.