Europe, the Netherlands, ca. late 17th to early 18th century CE. A beautiful oil on canvas painting copied after Correggio's "The Madonna of the Basket" (ca. 1524) by a Dutch artist in the late 17th to early 18th century. The composition depicts the Virgin dressing the Christ Child in a jacket that she made, into which he has put one arm. Although difficult to see in this rendition, the original depicts wool of the same color in the basket beside her. In the middle distance Saint Joseph is busily engaged in his carpentry. It has been suggested that the outstretching of the Christ Child's arms foreshadows his Crucifixion. The original Correggio (Antonio Allegri) is in the collection of the National Gallery; however, a number of copies are known to exist. Correggio was one of the most important Renaissance artists of northern Italy. His works were much desired by collectors during the time of the 18th century British portrait painter and proponent of the Grand Style, Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792). This said, in Reynold's 1771 Discourse, he was somewhat ambivalent describing Correggio's style as "founded upon modern grace and elegance, to which is super-added something of the simplicity of the grand style." Nevertheless, owning a Correggio was regarded as a major coup for any collector at the time. Dr. William Hunter, for instance, after whom the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery at the University of Glasgow was named owned a copy after the Correggio painting that has been attributed to the Dutch painter Adriaen van der Werff (1659-1722). This particular copy bears an uncanny resemblance to this example, sharing van der Werff's signature treatment of draperies and deeper color palette. A remarkable religious painting after Correggio's original Renaissance composition displaying the tenets of the Dutch style in a stunning gold hued wooden frame that has aged quite nicely. Size: painting itself measures 12.75" W x 16" H (32.4 cm x 40.6 cm); 20" x 22" (50.8 x 55.8 cm) in frame.

Go to this link for an image of the original Correggio "The Madonna of the Basket" (ca. 1524) discussed above: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/correggio-the-madonna-of-the-basket.

Go to this link for an image of the copy by Dutch artist Adriaen van der Werff (1659-1722) also discussed above: http://www.huntsearch.gla.ac.uk/cgibin/foxweb/huntsearch/DetailedResults.fwx?collection=hunter&SearchTerm=43520&mdaCode=GLAHA&reqMethod=Link&browseMode=on

Provenance: Ex- Private M. Reiniger collection, Chicago, IL

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#111336

A few perforations to the canvas as shown. Canvas is dark relative to the original Correggio painting and could benefit from some cleaning. This said, that darkness was also characteristic of the Dutch style of the artist who created this rendition. The frame shows its age with expected wear and minor losses.