Flemish Painter, 17th Century , Immacolata Concezione

Flemish painter, 17th century
Immacolata Concezione
Oil on copper, cm 28 x 20

The Immaculate Conception is a dogma of the Catholic Church that affirms that the Blessed Virgin Mary, from the first moment of her conception, has been preserved immune from original sin by the singular grace and the expected merits of Jesus Christ, her Son.

The copper represents the Virgin in her traditional iconography, that is, dressed in a white tunic, symbol of purity and holiness and with the blue mantle. The sun that surrounds it represents the divine light that illuminates and protects it, while all around there is a host of putti. The moon under Mary’s feet symbolizes her immaculateness, as the moon is considered a pure and incorruptible celestial body, while the twelve-star crown on her head represents her role as Queen of Heaven (or could also symbolize the twelve tribes of Israel or the twelve apostles). This dogma was defined on 8 December 1854 by Pope Pius IX with the bull Ineffabilis Deus.

The three putti in the foreground bear cartouches on which is engraved the Latin phrase "Potuit, decuit, fecit", often used in a theological context just to refer to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as in the copper under examination. This doctrine holds that Mary was conceived without original sin, from the moment of her conception. In other words, if God could free the Virgin from original sin (potuit), it was convenient that she who was to be the Mother of God should be conceived without original sin (decuit). And if it was convenient for God to do so (decuit), then God did it (fecit). The work was probably made by a Flemish painter passing through Rome, driven by the fervid cultural climate that reigned in the capital during the seventeenth century. The encounter with Roman art contributed to the development of a Flemish painting characterized by elongated figures, complex compositions and an emphasized use of light and shadow, while maintaining the usual attention to physiognomic details. 

The object is in good condition