Spanish or Italian school; c. 1700.

Spanish or Italian school; c. 1700.
"The visitation".
Oil on copper.
Presents restorations.
Measurements: 69 x 91 cm; 96 x 115 cm (frame).
Two female figures embrace in the foreground, starring this devotional scene. To the right of the composition, another woman is arranged in the frame of a door, while to the left in this case in greater proximity to the protagonist figures another woman can be appreciated who also observes the two figures located in the center of the composition. These characteristics indicate that the artist is representing the visit that the Virgin, already pregnant with Christ, makes to her older cousin Elizabeth, pregnant with St. John the Baptist, in the city of Hebron, a theme taken from the Gospel of Luke (1: 39-56). However, it is strange that neither St. Joseph nor Elizabeth's husband, who are frequent figures in the representation of this theme, are present in the representation. Except for the presence of the aforementioned characters, it can be said that the painting follows the text of the Bible almost to the detail: it is even possible that the posture of Elizabeth, who is about to kneel down, was either to feel the movement of her son when recognizing Christ, or alluding to the greeting she makes to Mary ("Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb").
The copper not only shows St. Joseph and Zechariah, but a whole procession is part of the scene that is crowned with several little angels that seem to celebrate the meeting between the women. The relevance of this image, which became popular during the Baroque period, transcends the mere encounter, since it is the first link between St. John the Baptist and Jesus, indispensable for each other. In fact, the relevance of the subject matter and the large dimensions, taking into account the support, indicate that the work was probably part of a cliché destined to ornament a sacred space.