Maria Immaculata, 1640 – 1660 ?

About the Work

Following restoration, Sassoferrato’s painting appears in a (likewise restored) seventeenth-century Italian frame and, once again, all its chromatic splendour. Previously thought to be a copy, the work has now proven to be among the best of the several surviving versions of the motif. The image of a Virgin Mary gazing wistfully heavenwards is based on a pictorial invention by Guido Reni. Sassoferrato frequently adopted compositions by artists he emulated and modified them in myriad ways. This painting is an isolated and abbreviated version of a full-length figure of the “Maria Immaculata” – the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception.