Attributed to Pier Francesco Cittadini

Attributed to PIER FRANCESCO CITTADINI ( Italy, 1616-1681).
"Madonna in border of flowers".
Oil on canvas.
Attached report issued by Don Ismael Gutiérrez Pastor.
Measurements: 75 x 61 cm; 110 x 93 cm (frame).
In the center of a detailed border of flowers, the figure of the Virgin is inscribed. This one directs its look to the sky, and unites its hands before the chest in prayerful attitude and devotion, characteristic gestures of the Marian representations. The background monumentalizes the figure of the protagonist, who wears tunic and mantle with the usual colors; red and blue in allusion to the passion of Christ, sacrifice and universality, values typical of Christianity. It is worth mentioning the border of flowers, which stands out for its variety, color and fidelity to reality. One of the flowers that can be appreciated is a tulip, a very appreciated flower during the baroque period, which was considered a rarity. It should be noted that, in this type of compositions, the flowers are not simply a secondary element, or accessory, but are worked with the same care, and with the same quality as the religious image. In fact, sometimes they even show a more skillful hand, since often these works were the result of the collaboration of a painter of flowers and another specialized in the human figure. In this particular work a great mastery can be appreciated, both in the floral composition and in the scene depicted inside. The work attaches a report report made by the specialist in Baroque and Renaissance art Mr. Ismael Gutiérrez Pastor in which he attributes it to Pier Francesco Cittadini.
Cittadini was born in Milan, although he developed his career mainly in Bologna. He began his training as a disciple of Daniele Crespi, but after his death in 1630 he moved to Bologna. He arrived there when he was less than twenty years old, and continued his training under the guidance of Guido Reni. This master deeply influenced Cittadini especially in his early works, as evidenced by "Martyrdom of the Protomartyr" (1637), "The Flagellation" and "The Crowning of Thorns", paintings made for the Santo Stefano in Bologna. After the death of Guido Reni, the painter undertook a long work of recovery of the Bolognese tradition, starting from the Carraccian taste. The work "The Fall of Saul", painted in 1645, is evidence of this approach. Between 1646 and 1650 he worked in Rome, where he frequented the circles of French and Flemish artists who practiced genre painting. At this time his art evidenced a more naturalistic key, and he began to focus on landscapes and still lifes. It would be now when he managed to obtain commissions from Louis XIV of France, thanks mainly to the success achieved with his still lifes and landscapes. Later, between 1650 and 1652, he participated in the decoration of the Villa Estense in Sassuolo. He was also an appreciated portraitist, attentive in his observation and delicate in his chromatic intonation, as evidenced by "Gentleman with cuirass and red scarf" (Fondazione Cariplo) and "Double portrait (Antonio and Agostino Azzurrini di Faenza)" (Pinacoteca Civica di Forli). Particularly significant, however, was his work as a still life painter, with works that combine his naturalistic inclination with a fine sensibility for decoration. In fact, within his production of still lifes we find Cittadini's most important work, a series of four paintings of the seasons, which reveal the influence of Domenichino and of Swanevelt's own Nordic atmosphere. His sons, Giovanni Battista and Carlo Cittadini, were also painters. He is currently represented in the aforementioned collections and also in the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica in Trieste, among other important Italian and foreign museums.