School of Corrado Giaquinto; c. 1740.

School of CORRADO GIAQUINTO (Italy, 1703 - 1765/66).
"The coronation of the Virgin". c. 1740.
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Measurements: 98 x 65 cm; 108 x 76 cm (frame).
Work inscribed in the late-baroque language of Neapolitan and Roman roots that the master Giaquinto developed with singular personality. The composition represents the episode of the Coronation of Mary in the presence of the Trinity, a theme of deep devotional tradition that reached special diffusion in the context of the Counter-Reformation spirituality and the eighteenth-century decorative taste. In the center of the scene, the Virgin appears elevated on a break of glory and surrounded by angels and cherubs, while Christ and God the Father deposit on her the heavenly crown under the presence of the dove of the Holy Spirit, thus configuring a complex Trinitarian vision.
The work clearly shows numerous characteristic traits of Giaquinto's style and that of his immediate circle. First of all, the dynamic sense of the composition stands out, organized by means of ascending diagonals and a helicoidal arrangement of the figures that leads the gaze towards the upper luminous focus. This spatial construction, with a strong scenographic effect, refers to the Roman Baroque tradition derived from Luca Giordano and Sebastiano Conca, fundamental artists in the painter's training. Likewise, the vaporous atmosphere, the soft modeling and the use of a warm and golden light reveal the rococo sensibility that distinguishes Giaquinto's mature production, particularly in his religious compositions for churches and palace decorative cycles.
Of particular importance is the chromatic treatment, based on a rich and harmonious range of intense blues, pearly pinks, golden ochers and fiery reds, applied with fluid and transparent brushstrokes that give the surface a remarkable luminous vibration. The delicacy of the angelic faces, the elegance of the folds and the aerial lightness of the figures also respond to the usual formulas in the repertoire of the artist, who developed a profoundly decorative language, characterized by the grace of the attitudes. The dynamism of the bodies and the refinement of the anatomies reveal a solid academic training and a close relationship with the great tradition of the late Italian Baroque.