Terms and conditions of use
Madonna in prayer
(c. 1640-1650)
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
47.8 × 38.7 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased through the NGV Foundation with the assistance of Mr James O. Fairfax AO, Honorary Life Benefactor, 2002
Gallery location
16th & 17th Century Gallery - Painting and Sculpture
Mezzanine linked to Level 1, NGV International
About this work
Giovanni Battista Salvi, named Sassoferrato after his town of birth in the Italian Marches, was a Baroque master who specialised in pious devotional images. In 1641, when Sassoferrato is first documented as having worked in Rome, the impact of Caravaggio (who had died thirty years earlier) remained strong, influencing the bold chiaroscuro of this Madonna in prayer, which is a classic example of the Catholic Church’s emphasis during the Counter-Reformation on reaffirming devotion to the Virgin Mary.
Artwork Details
Accession Number
2002.126
Department
International Painting
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Ms Carol Grigor through Metal Manufactures Limited
Subjects (general)
Human Figures Religion and Mythology
Subjects (specific)
Blessed Virgin Mary (Christian character) busts (general, figures) headscarves praying robes (main garments) women (female humans)
Movements
Baroque
Provenance
Collection Sachse-Glanikau, Sachsen, Germany collection Seifert-Glakinau, Sachsen (from 1850) unknown private collection purchased from Jack Kilgore & Co. (dealer), New York through the NGV Foundation, 2002.