"Maddalena"
Workshop of Elisabetta Sirani (Bologna, 8 January 1638 - 28 August 1665)
Oil on canvas
Measurements 98 x 75, frame 110 x 87
Excellent condition with professional relining.
Painting of excellent pictorial quality and remarkable elegance with evident stylistic connotations of Bolognese Baroque painting.
The comparisons to the works of Sirani are clearly evident in the refined beauty of the protagonist and in the splendid and decisive colors of this important Emilian canvas.
The marked chiaroscuro enlivens the scene which, usually described with drama, in this case is presented in a more sophisticated guise, where the femininity and torment of the Magdalene are not exasperated but composed and the beauty of her features is not distorted but rather shown in a perfect way and in all its splendor.
Furthermore, the outdoor setting, with the blue sky, contributes even more to defusing the context and makes the work more pleasant.
Sirani often uses this attractive model for her paintings with female protagonists, especially to portray the face of the Madonna (we publish an example).
The work is evidently of a high level and is complete with a beautiful neoclassical gilded frame from the early 19th century that blends perfectly with the canvas.
