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This devotional painting makes us feel as if we are in the same room as the Virgin Mary, who appears almost life-size, praying in quiet devotion. The background is so plain and dark that nothing distracts us from her bowed head framed by a white headdress or her hands pressed gently together. Bright light draws attention to her dazzling blue drapery, giving life to the folds of the fabric. The blue is ultramarine, which was an extremely expensive pigment. Sixteenth-century reformers of the Roman Catholic Church advocated a more personal approach to worship, placing great emphasis on individual contemplation. By the seventeenth century, the subject of the Virgin alone and at prayer had become very common. There are well over a dozen examples by Sassoferrato himself and numerous copies painted by his studio.
Title
The Virgin in Prayer
Date
1640-50
Medium
Oil on canvas
Measurements
H 73 x W 57.7 cm
Accession number
NG200
Acquisition method
Bequeathed by Richard Simmons, 1846
Work type
Painting
The National Gallery, London
Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England
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The Virgin and Child The Wallace Collection -
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Virgin in Prayer The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust) -
Virgin and Child with Saints Elizabeth and John the Baptist The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust) - 19 more