Giuseppe Maria Crespi

Private collection, South America;

Thereafter acquired by the present owner.

This jewel-like copper is an exceptional, recently rediscovered example of the devotional cabinet paintings produced by Giuseppe Maria Crespi, one of the most inventive and distinguished Bolognese artists of the late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth centuries. Reflective of Crespi's idiosyncratic style and technique, this depiction of the Holy Family evokes the cherished relationship between Mother and Child on an intimate scale. Delighting in his artistry, Crespi approaches this emblematic religious subject with a masterful sensitivity and virtuosic handling of the paint, evident in the bravura brushwork of the draperies and brilliant concentration of light for emotional effect.

Closely cropped within this focused composition, the Madonna holds the Christ Child tenderly in her arms as if presenting him to the beholder. She inclines her head and gazes knowingly at the sleeping infant, who holds a diminuitive cross that refers proleptically to his own crucifixion. Behind her at left, Joseph looks upward into the realm of the viewer with his hands folded in prayer. Crespi revisited this iconic religious subject over the course of his career (a Virgin and Child set the record price for the artist in these rooms in 2006, a Holy Family is preserved in the Pinacoteca Vaticana, and a third version including Saint Bernardino is in Ascoli Piceno).¹

The present painting stands out among Crespi's other interpretations for its cool palette, bold coloration, and expressive presence of the artist's hand. Rendered with rapid brushstrokes and enhanced by the luminous addition of flickering white highlights throughout, the drapery and flesh tones are particularly accomplished. Set against a reddish-brown ground, the figures of the Holy Family fill the visual field, underscoring the intimacy of this composition and its intended use for private devotion—an object to be held in one's hands for prayer or contemplation.

We are grateful to Professor Daniele Benati for confirming the attribution to Crespi on the basis of digital images.

¹ The Virgin and Sleeping Christ Child, Sotheby's London, 5 July 2006, lot 48; The Holy Family, Vatican City, Pinacoteca Vaticana, inv. no. MV.40388.0.0 ; The Holy Family with Saint Bernardino, Ascoli Piceno, Pinacoteca Civica.