Holy Family With Saint Anne G,b. Salvi Sassoferrato (1609-1685)

Giovanni Battista Salvi, known as Sassoferrato
(Sassoferrato 1609 - Rome 1685) workshop
"Holy Family with Saint Anne"
Oil painting on canvas
Middle of the 17th century
Old gilt frame 19th century
Canvas measures 74 x 64 frame 88 x 78
The work is in the first canvas on the original stretcher.

The painting shows the unmistakable characteristics of the devotional representations that made the "Sassoferrato" workshop famous. The remarkable elegance in the description of the protagonists and the serene calm of their expressions convey a sense of solemn sacredness. Following the typical dictates of his painting, the composition instills serenity and is free from any passionate message. For this reason his works have had enormous success with the public, with continued demand from private clients for domestic devotion. The "Holy Family" with the addition of S'Anna is however quite rare in the repertoire of Salvi who prefers Marian representations alone and with the Child. In fact, we consider the work to be very interesting in addition to being of excellent quality. The colors used are the prerogative of his always sparse palette and the incomparable bright blue that distinguishes the production of his workshop. Finally, a note to the incredible ability of the author to create a play of shadow and light underlined by the perfection of the shades and the dark background. The Virgin and Child, in the foreground, are radiated by a halo of supernatural light, while the figures of Anne and Joseph, on the sides and in the background, are represented in a dim light illuminated by soft light.