Follower of Alonso Cano, XIX century.

Follower of ALONSO CANO (Granada, 1601 - 1667), XIX century.
"Virgin and Child".
Oil on canvas.
Presents restorations.
Frame of the nineteenth century in gilded carved wood.
Measurements: 92 x 80 cm; 131 x 121 X 7 cm (frame).

The present work, of nineteenth-century period, is a version of the painting "The Virgin and Child" by Alonso Cano, preserved in the Prado Museum. Under the moonlight, the devotional image of the Virgin and Child Jesus in this composition is endearing for its silver lighting and for being a very young mother of peasant appearance, far from the idealizing canons of the previous tradition. The couple is placed in the foreground, which gives them volume and solidity, but at the same time the tenderness emanating from their bodies detracts from their monumentality. Mary wears a wavy mane that falls over her shoulders. The red tunic turns mauve under the lunar light. The plump body of the child is endowed with a naturalistic softness that is particularly successful. The blue mantle covers the mother's shoulders and also the lap on which the child lies. The composition is harmonious and balanced.

This work summarizes some of the main characteristics of Alonso Cano's style and, especially, his ability to assimilate the most varied influences. Thus, while the composition is based on a well-known print by Dürer, the coloring shows the mark he left on the knowledge of Titian's works in the Royal Collections, and the Virgin is related to some of Raphael's madonnas. But all this interpreted with the serenity and repose characteristic of the painter.