Italian school of the 17th century. Circle of... Lot 44

Italian school of the 17th century. Circle of PIETRO NOVELLI (Monreale, 1603 - Palermo, 1647). "Madonna of the Milk", 1615. Oil on slate. Dated on the left side. Size: 73 x 46 cm; 60 x 87 cm (frame). In this canvas the painter offers us an image of the Virgin with the Child, within the iconography of the Virgin of the Milk, an image which is at the same time an everyday image and endowed with a long tradition in the history of art. Although this theme began to disappear in the Baroque period, it is fully in keeping with the interest on the part of the artists of the time in depicting Jesus in his human aspect, especially as a tender, innocent child weighed down by the shadow of the cross, of his future sacrifice, often depicted against a neutral background and not very prominent, as in the case in question. Formally, this work belongs to the Italian school of the first half of the 17th century, more specifically to the circle of Pietro Novelli. Thus, we see in this work the tenderness, delicacy and subtlety that were Novelli's hallmarks, particularly evident in the delicate, skilfully rendered canvases and in the pearly flesh tones, worked with a modelling based on the subtlety of the play of light and shadow. Many of Pietro Novelli's important works were also executed on slate, an unusual but very important medium in Novelli's life and work, and it is a fact that the painter of the piece was in the circle and followed the master closely. Pietro Novelli, who was of Italian origin, achieved great fame as a painter, although he was also an architect and was appointed architect to the kingdom. His training was linked to his father's workshop, who was also a painter. His links with Palermo, a place to which he travelled frequently, indicate that he probably attended the school of Vito Carrera. Furthermore, the presence of Van Dyck and the stylistic influence of the master that can be seen in Novelli's painting reinforces the idea that he trained in Palermo.