Pier Francesco Cittadini (attr.), Garland Of Flowers With Infant Jesus

Pier Francesco Cittadini (attr.)
Milan, 1616 - Bologna, 1681

Garland of flowers with Jesus child child
oil on canvas cm. 68 × 55.5

The painting presents in the center the figure of the child blessing Jesus, dressed in a long red tunic. Her figure is surrounded by a lush garland of flowers with roses of different colors, mainly white, pink and yellow.

The work dates back to the hand of the Milanese master by birth but long active between Bologna and Rome Pier Francesco Cittadini. A pupil of Crespi and Guido Reni, he obtained his first great successes during his stay in Rome where he devoted himself to genre painting and was also able to obtain commissions from Louis XIV, notably for landscapes and still lifes.

It is precisely in this vein that the work presented here fits, in very good state of conservation, and which can also boast of an important provenance from a noble Venetian family. Note the extraordinary life-likeness of the roses, with elegant touches of skill like the small, delicate dewdrops resting on some of the petals. In the frame, not contemporary.