Description
Workshop of Nicola Grassi (Zuglio 1682 – Venice 1748) – Madonna and Child.
Oil on canvas, in gilded wood frame.
Publications: E. Lucchese, Nicola Grassi, 2019, ZeL Edizioni, p. 468, cat. C292.
Nicola Grassi ranks among the leading figures of Venetian painting in the first half of the 18th century. Formed in the circle of Sebastiano Ricci and receptive to Central European artistic currents, he developed a distinctive style marked by a soft palette and an introspective, melancholic rendering of faces.
The painting presents the subject of the Madonna and Child in an intimate, emotionally charged composition. The Virgin, draped in a blue mantle and dark red robe, holds the Child with a tender gesture, while a twilight landscape with bare trees opens in the background. The faces display the delicate quality characteristic of Grassi’s hand, with the Madonna’s gaze lowered in quiet contemplation. The pictorial execution and stylistic features point to the master’s workshop, as documented in Lucchese’s monograph.
Condition report: Relined canvas. Good state of conservation of the pictorial surface, with signs of ageing and wear.
