Attributed to Maraiani (Genoese area) - Madonna with Christ

We are before a sculpture representing the Pietà. Pietà is a recurring theme in the history of art, originating in the 14th century in Germany, where it is known as Vesperbild. Vesper, derived from the Latin, means sunset, and refers to the lifeless body. It depicts the moment when the Virgin Mary welcomes Jesus, her son, into her womb, immediately following the deposition from the cross. It is part of the cycle of the seven sorrows of the Virgin. It should be noted that this event is not described in the Bible or the apocryphal Gospels and is therefore purely fictional, derived from popular beliefs that imagine the dramatic moment between the mother and her now deceased son.

The work was carved from wood. In this type of sculpture, to apply the paint smoothly and evenly, it is necessary to spread either the so-called grandmother's rag and gesso, or just gesso, over the wood, which is refined and leavened to accommodate the application of the paint. The artist creates a finely carved sculpture with great attention to the folds of the Virgin's heavy-looking cloth and the anatomy of the Savior's naked body. It is created realistically, with the heaviness of the lifeless, limp body, no longer able to support itself, and the slight swelling of the belly. The anatomy is subtle and depicted in its delicacy. The head falls to the side, abandoned, and the still suffering face features a half-open mouth. Mary's gaze, raised to the sky, betrays her suffering, but the sculptor prefers a quiet acceptance of fate to a strong pathos.

The work, given its age, is unsigned. In fact, signing works only became commonplace and standard practice during the nineteenth century; before that, signatures were the exception, not the rule. This is especially true for sculptural objects. The object could possibly date back to earlier works from the eighteenth century.

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