Attributed to GIOVANNI GIROLAMO SAVOLDO

Attributed to GIOVANNI GIROLAMO SAVOLDO (Brescia, 1480 - Venice, 1540).
"Pietà".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
It presents faults and restorations.
Measurements: 71 x 55,5 cm.
In this work of devotional character the author is based on the models of Jacopino da Ponte, although aesthetically it approaches the works of Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo. The artist represents the Pietà, placing the Virgin and the body of Jesus in the center of the composition of triangular character as it is habitual in this type of artistic representations. The piece is inscribed in the full baroque expressing stylistic characteristics such as the theatricality and dramatism of the scene that is evident not only by the subject matter but also by the light treatment of the work. In this case the Virgin holds Jesus, who is seated, lying on his mother's knees. The faces of both protagonists are together as if they were dedicating the last look or the last caria to each other, in such a way that the gesture generates a contained emotion that directly empathizes with the viewer's gaze.
The iconography of the Pietà arises from a gradual evolution of five centuries and, according to Panofsky, derives from the theme of the Byzantine Threnos, the lamentation of the Virgin over the dead body of Jesus, as well as from the Virgin of Humility. The first artists to see the possibilities of this theme were German sculptors, the first example being found in the city of Coburg, a piece from around 1320. With the passage of time the iconography will spread throughout Europe, and already in the seventeenth century, after the Counter-Reformation, it became one of the most important themes of devotional painting.
Girolamo Savoldo's painting stood out for its subtle use of color and chiaroscuro, and for the sober realism of his works, mostly on religious themes, with some portraits. About forty paintings by Savoldo are known in total, six of them portraits; only a few of his drawings are known. He was highly esteemed during his lifetime; he was commissioned for several repetitions of works and others made copies of them. However, he went unnoticed by the general public and the art trade assigned many of his works to more famous artists, most notably Giorgione. In the 19th century, knowledge of his work was revived, although the dating of many paintings remains controversial among specialists.