Virgin and Child with Angels
Giulio Cesare Procaccini·c. 1610
Historical Context
Giulio Cesare Procaccini's Virgin and Child with Angels from around 1610 is a sumptuous devotional painting by one of the leading painters of early 17th-century Milan. Procaccini, born in Bologna but active in Milan, developed a sensuous, emotional style that combined Correggesque sweetness with Counter-Reformation devotional intensity. His lush, colorful religious paintings offered a distinctively Lombard alternative to the Caravaggist revolution then sweeping Rome.
Technical Analysis
Procaccini's oil-on-panel technique demonstrates his characteristically rich, warm palette with luminous flesh tones and flowing draperies. The soft, sensuous brushwork and the tender interaction between Virgin, Child, and angels create the devotional intimacy characteristic of his best religious paintings.
Provenance
Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton (died 1852), Hamilton Palace, Glasgow; by descent to William Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Duke of Hamilton (died 1895); sold Christie's, London, June 24, 1882, no. 334 as Farrata for £32.11 to Heseltine [Christie's stock no. stencil: 28OP]; John Postle Heseltine (died 1929), Tatchbury Mount, Hampshire; offered for sale Christie's, London, June 7, 1918, no. 116 as Sasso Farrata after Procaccini and bought in for £73.10 to Martin (on behalf of Heseltine) [Christie's stock no. stencil: 117CS]; by descent to Evelyn Heseltine (died 1930) The Goldings, Great Warley, Essex; by descent to his daughter, Mrs. Muriel Evelyn de Rougemont (died 1967), Essex; sold, Strutt & Parker, Essex, October 25, 1967, to Michael Tollemache [information kindly supplied by Michael Tollemache]; Michael Tollemache Fine Art, London; sold Christie's, London, June 21, 1968, no. 8 as Procaccini for $4284 to F. Maison [Christie's stock no. stencil: 938RH]. Frederick Mont, New York by 1969; sold to Art Institute, 1969.
