Italian school, XVII century.

Italian school, XVII century.
"Madonna del Populo".
Oil on copper.
Presents faults and losses on the pictorial surface.
Frame of the XIX century.
Measurements. 22 x 27 cm.

The Virgin of the Populus, which means Virgin of the People, is a Marian devotion that has its origin in Italy as a result of the Salus Populi Romani venerated in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome and probably dates from the sixth century. In different parts of Italy it was a model profusely represented and also spread to Spain. Although there are variations, the Madonnas del Popolo have common elements that make them recognizable. Here, in this oil on copper, the half-length Virgin, dressed in a red tunic and blue mantle with the border filleted in gold, holds the Child Jesus in her arms. This one appears wrapped in a golden tunic, endowed with silky shines. Jesus adopts the gesture of blessing and Mary brings her delicate hand to her breast. Traditionally, the icon model of the Madonna del Popolo was hieratic and of stylized forms, although in our image the features and gestures tend to be softened.