Attributed to Carlo Dolci

Attributed to CARLO DOLCI (Florence, 1616 - 1686).
"Madonna and Child".
Oil on copper.
It has frame of the nineteenth century.
Measurements: 16 x 12 cm; 26 x 20 cm (frame).
This work follows the model of the iconic painting by Carlo Dolci known as "The Madonna of the veil". In the center of the composition are two key figures of Christianity: the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus. Mary is depicted in a serene, loving and recollected attitude. Her face, with soft and delicate features, leans towards the Child with an expression of pious contemplation. The soft light and the chromatic palette, dominated by warm reds and deep blues, contribute to emphasize her purity and devotion. Her head is crowned by a golden halo, symbol of holiness, as is that of the Child. The Child Jesus lies peacefully asleep on a white sheet, alluding to both his innocence and the purity of his birth. The light falling on his naked body makes him the focus of visual and spiritual attention, reinforcing his divine character. The posture of the child, completely relaxed, reinforces the humanity of the incarnate Christ, a recurring theme in Baroque iconography that seeks to emphasize the emotional closeness with the viewer. Stylistically the work is firmly within Dolci's orbit, taking into account features such as; the softness and perfection of the modeling, especially in the faces, the meticulous treatment of the fabric and the details (folds of the cloth, transparency of the veil), the intimate and devotional atmosphere or the use of subtle golden halos more as pictorial than physical elements.

According to critics, Carlo Dolci was the most outstanding Baroque painter in Florence in the 17th century. In addition to paintings intended to ornament church altars, Dolci popularized compositions with half-length images of the Virgin, Mary Magdalene, saints and other sacred figures, of polished and detailed technique, which were well received by the late Baroque clientele. Among his first works signed as an independent artist are portraits, a genre that the painter worked on throughout his career and for which he was particularly renowned. He forged his style by copying the works of the great masters of the 15th and 16th centuries, including Fra Angelico, Ghirlandaio, Michelangelo and Correggio. He was also in contact with the Medici collection, which had a great influence on his work of the Dutch painters of his time, such as Willem van der Aelst. Throughout his career and after his death he had numerous disciples, among them Agnese Dolci, his daughter, who followed the family tradition and made numerous copies of Carlos Dolci's paintings.