Attributed to Mariano Salvador Maella

Attributed to MARIANO SALVADOR MAELLA (Valencia, 1739 - Madrid, 1819).
"Immaculate Conception.
Oil on canvas.
Measurements: 63,5 x 33 cm.
This oil painting follows the model of the painting of the main altar of the Chapel of San Antonio of the Church of San Francisco el Grande in Madrid. Maella's composition follows the conventions in use since the Baroque for one of the most popular and repeated representations of Spanish painting. The Virgin, surrounded by angels, appears wrapped in a mantle moved by the wind.
Engraver and illustrator, Maella began his training in Madrid, in the drawing studio of the sculptor Felipe de Castro. Later he continued his studies at the recently created Academy of San Fernando, where his teacher was Antonio González Velázquez, from whom he learned the elements of the late eighteenth-century baroque. After completing his studies and having won several competitions at the Academy, he moved to Rome in 1757. There he began his professional career, following the baroque style of his master. However, when he returned to France, he entered the orbit of Anton Raphael Mengs, leaving behind the Baroque influence for good. From then on he developed an important work as a fresco painter in the decoration of the Royal Palace of Madrid and other royal sites. In 1774 he was appointed chamber painter, and from then on he combined his service to the king with his position at the Santa Barbara Tapestry Factory, where he was responsible for supervising the work of the young painters. He was also a member of merit of the Royal Academy of San Fernando from 1765, and there he replaced Mengs as professor from 1769, to finally be appointed director in 1772. At the peak of his career, Charles IV granted him in 1799 the title of first painter of the king, shared with Goya. Maella is currently represented in the Prado Museum, the National Heritage collection, the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the Museum of Fine Arts in Valencia, among others.