Madonna of the Rosary with the Christ Child, St. Dominic and two Angels

Morazzone (Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli)

Download hi-res image TITLE Madonna of the Rosary with the Christ Child, St. Dominic and two Angels
AUTHOR Morazzone (Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli)
DATE Before 1617
OBJECT TYPE AND MATERIAL Oil on canvas
DIMENSIONS cm 42 x 30
INVENTORY 261
ROOM XXX
Work on display

In this preparatory work for the altarpiece in the Certosa di Pavia, for which Morazzone was paid in 1617, the artist adopts a traditional pyramid design, the wreath with which the angels are crowning the Virgin being its apex. In the carefully devised composition, the sweeping gesture with which the Virgin offers the rosary to St. Dominiccounterbalances the Christ Child’s presence on her lap. The light focuses on the Virgin, the clouds and the childish bodies rendered with soft and glistening brushwork.