The Mater Dolorosa

Carlo Cesare Malvasia lists two paintings of the Mater Dolorosa by Sirani from 1662; in the first, commissioned by ‘Monsig. Giorgi Vicelegato’, the Madonna is described as wearing a ‘panno morello’ [red cloak] and therefore is unlikely to refer to the present picture (op. cit., p. 472). The second, painted for ‘l’Illustriss. Sig. Marchese Barbazza’, was described by Malvasia as having been painted with the same idea in mind, but conceived in a different manner [‘del pensiero della sopradetta…ma in altra maniera’] (ibid). It is probable that this relates to the present work. Marchese Ferdinando Barbazza commissioned several paintings from Sirani, including The Magdalene in Ecstasy, Musée des Beaux-Arts et d’Archeologie, Besançon, painted in 1663.