Madonna with Child and Saint Francis by Antonio Carracci

 

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Madonna with the Child and Saint Francis by Antonio Carracci, oil on copper, 1605.

Antonio Carracci, born in Venice around 1583, was the son of the painter Agostino Carracci and a Venetian courtesan named Isabella. His earliest training came under his father, who quickly recognized the young artist’s talent; Antonio is known to have completed a refined “Madonna and Child” at the age of seventeen. Following Agostino’s death in 1602, Antonio moved to Rome, where he entered the studio of his uncle Annibale Carracci. 

The two developed a close bond, and Antonio likely assisted on some of Annibale’s most significant Roman projects, including the frescoes of the Galleria Farnese, the lunettes for the Chapel of the Palazzo Aldobrandini, and possibly work in the Herrera Chapel. After Annibale's death, Antonio continued to receive notable commissions from influential patrons such as Cardinal Tonti and Cardinal Peretti-Montalto, producing works such as the Stanza del Diluvio in the Quirinal Palace, the Madonna and Child with Saints (Berlin), and the Nativity in the Galleria Corsini. He was particularly admired for his cabinet-sized compositions, many of which drew upon the rich graphic repertoire preserved in the Carracci workshop.

In this oil on copper, the Blessed Virgin Mary is depicted seated, gently unveiling the Christ Child who rests upon her lap. She lifts the white cloth that had covered His small body, presenting Him to Saint Francis of Assisi, who kneels in reverent astonishment. Francis’s posture, leaning forward with hands and heart open, conveys a vivid emotional response—tender awe, devotion, and spiritual humility. 

From the upper left, an angel descends, offering a branch of three pink peonies, symbolic of divine love and spiritual joy. The entire scene unfolds before a radiant golden background composed of softly billowing clouds, forming a kind of heavenly throne. The effect is both intimate and exalted: a private moment of mystical encounter elevated into sacred vision, rendered with Carracci’s characteristic delicacy of expression and refined compositional grace.

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This image is a public domain image, which means either that copyright has expired in the image or the copyright holder has waived their copyright. Franciscan Gallery charges for the access to high resolution copy of the image. Manually restoration was necessary in order to improve quality, without covering the original image.