The Madonna in prayer

Details

GIOVANNI BATTISTA SALVI, CALLED SASSOFERRATO (SASSOFERRATO 1609-1685 ROME)
The Madonna in prayer
oil on canvas
19 5/8 x 15 ½ in. (49.8 x 39.2 cm.)
in an eighteenth century Roman frame

Special notice

This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Lucy Speelman Junior Specialist, Head of Day Sale

lspeelman@christies.com +44 207 752 3074

Lot Essay

This fine composition, showing the Madonna in a moment of prayer, is one of Sassoferrato’s most successful and celebrated devotional works. Another version, of similar dimensions, was sold at Sotheby’s, New York, 28 January 2016, lot 40 for $346,000. Although he was a talented portraitist, his great interest in the Renaissance sustained his career, as he copied and reinterpreted compositions by masters in Italy and beyond. He is known to have been influenced by Annibale Carracci and Guido Reni, and in particular Raphael, whose compositions inspired Sassoferrato’s sacred works.

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