Madonna and Child

Sisto BADALOCCHIO
(Parma, 1613 - 1614)

Madonna and Child
circa 1615
Oil on canvas (lined)
32 x 34.5 cm

Provenance : Marché de l'art, Paris
Bibliography: Unpublished
Comparative bibliography: Massimo Pirondini, Sisto Badalocchio, Manerba-Reggio Emilia 2004

The Virgin, standing out against a golden-yellow halo, holds the naked Infant Jesus, seated on her lap. The latter stretches his arms forward in the direction of the white cloth held by his Mother, a probable allusion to the Passion shroud.
The Virgin lowering her eyes in an attitude of humility can be compared to the Virgin and Child with St. Eufemia and Dominican saints, which features the same luminous halo, and the Virgin and Child with St. Matthew and St. Francis, with the same delicate gesture. Dating from the middle of the first decade of the century, this small private devotional canvas represents a kind of syncretism between the naturalistic lesson of Annibale Carracci and the experiments of Schedone and Lanfranco.
We would like to thank Mr. Carel van Tuyll for kindly confirming the authenticity of this work, which will be included in the artist's forthcoming catalog raisonné.