Description
A devout woman, shown at lower right, is presented by saints and an angel to the central Virgin and Child. In clockwise order from her is Saint Lucy, identified by the cauldron and sword at her feet; Saint Agnes, by the lamb; Saint Scholastica, by the dove she holds; and Saint Benedict, characterized by his crozier and Benedictine habit. Slightly below the central Madonna is Saint Veronica, whose head is covered. Behind Saint Veronica, Saint Anthony of Padua, wearing a Franciscan habit and holding a lily stalk, stands in a pose of adoration. Below Saint Anthony and next to the woman is an angel. The identity of the woman is uncertain, but she may be the painting's patron. Pittoni uses dramatic gestures and elegant drapery, while the soft treatment of light and rich colors reflect Pittoni's study of French Rococo art during his stay in France in 1720. In the crowded composition, Pittoni has emphasized the importance of the religious event. His experimentation with composition is evident in the legs of Saint Agnes's lamb; as the painting has aged, a third front leg that Pittoni had painted over has become visible.
Provenance
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio (1982-); (Newhouse Galleries, New York, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (Until 1982); Baron André Descamps, Brussels, possibly consigned to Newhouse Galleries (Possibly 1941-1982); (Galerie Fievez, Brussels, sale, June 23-24, 1941, no. 232 (1941); (Galerie Georges Giroux, Brussels, Broerman sale, March 21, 1927, lot 24, as Giambattista Tiepolo) (1927); Eugene Broerman [1860-1930], Brussels, consigned to Galerie Georges Giroux (Possibly 1924-1927); Piccoli collection, Venice; Possibly a palace chapel, Belluno, Italy (1720s)
Accession Number
1982.36
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
Framed: 185 x 149 x 6.5 cm (72 13/16 x 58 11/16 x 2 9/16 in.); Unframed: 172 x 135.5 cm (67 11/16 x 53 3/8 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Tags
Painting Baroque (1600–1750) Oil Painting Canvas Italian
Background & Context
Background Story
Giovanni Battista Pittoni (1687-1767) was a Venetian painter known for the elegantly composed, richly colored religious paintings that make him one of the most accomplished painters of the Venetian Rococo. Saints Presenting a Devout Woman to the Virgin and Child from the 1720s depicts saints presenting a devout woman to the Virgin and Child in the elegantly composed, richly colored manner that distinguishes Pittoni's best work from the more general religious painting of his contemporaries. Pittoni was one of the most important painters of the Venetian Rococo, known for his elegantly composed, richly colored religious paintings that combine the tradition of Venetian color with the elegant composition of the Rococo.
Cultural Impact
Saints Presenting a Devout Woman to the Virgin and Child is important in the history of Venetian painting because it demonstrates the elegantly composed, richly colored manner that Pittoni brought to religious subjects as one of the most accomplished painters of the Venetian Rococo. Pittoni's elegantly composed, richly colored religious paintings—combining the tradition of Venetian color with the elegant composition of the Rococo—represent one of the most accomplished traditions in Venetian painting, and the 1720s painting shows this tradition at its most elegantly composed.
Why It Matters
Saints Presenting a Devout Woman to the Virgin and Child is Pittoni's elegantly composed Venetian Rococo: saints presenting a devout woman to the Virgin and Child rendered in the richly colored manner of one of the most accomplished painters of the Venetian Rococo. The 1720s painting shows the combination of Venetian color with Rococo elegance that makes Pittoni distinctive.