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    Sale 6944

    OLD MASTER PICTURES

    London

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    27 October 2004

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    • Studio of Carlo Maratta (Camer
    Lot 55

    Studio of Carlo Maratta (Camerano 1625-1713 Rome)

    The Infant Christ with Angels and the Infant Saint John the Baptist

    Price realised

    GBP 17,925

    Estimate

    GBP 15,000 - GBP 20,000

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    Studio of Carlo Maratta (Camerano 1625-1713 Rome)
    The Infant Christ with Angels and the Infant Saint John the Baptist
    oil on canvas
    28 x 28¾ in. (71.1 x 73 cm.)

    Provenance

    In the collection of the Gallery of the Dukes of Saxe-Meiningen, and by descent.

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    Literature and exhibited

    Literature

    Verzeichnis der bedeutendsten Gemälde in Herzogl. Residenzschlosse zu Meiningen, Meiningen, c. 1890, no. 72, as Carlo Maratta, in the Salon.
    Ausstellungskatalog der Meininger Gemäldegalerie, Meiningen, 1956, p. 38, no. 122, fig. XL, as Carlo Maratta.


    Lot Essay

    The prototype for this celebrated composition by Maratta would seem to be in the Museo Borgogna, Vercelli. It proved to be one of the artist's most popular images and many versions were produced by his workshop, some with slight variations, the most common being the omission of Saint John the Baptist from the left of the picture.

    After the death of Bernini in 1680, Maratta became the most important artist in Rome, and he presided over the largest and most influential workshop since the Caracci. This studio production is particularly noteworthy for the pose of the Christ Child, the position of whose legs are inverted in relation to the Vercelli picture. This might suggest that the studio were making use of an engraving of the picture, printed in reverse, to make slight alterations to this famous image. In this case the other compositional elements of the picture, the position of the main body of Christ, the angels' heads and the Baptist, are all identical to the Vercelli picture.

    Other information

    Special Notice

    No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis


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