Studio RT Ltd

Description

What more fitting homage to the Christmas season than this wonderful oil painting of the Madonna and Child, which reminds us of its true meaning. The Madonna is looking lovingly down at the Christ Child in the crib, and the light emanating from him is illuminating the faces of the Madonna and the Angels. This superb oil painting is an authorised copy by Marie Stengel of the oil painting by Carlo Maratta which has been in the Old Master Gallery in Dresden since 1743, entitled 'Die Heilige Nacht' or 'The Holy Night', with their catalogue number 436, and is the exact size of the original.

Carlo Maratta, sometimes spelt Maratti, was born in Camerano, Papal States, now Marche in May 1625. He was apprenticed to the studio of Andrea Sacchi and had a close relationship with his master until his death in 1661. After this time and the death of Pietro da Cortona, he became the leading painter in Rome, and, in 1664, became director of the Accademia di San Luca. He painted altar pieces, frescoes, portraits, including the portrait of Pope Clement IX, now owned by the Vatican, but it is for his religious paintings that he is best known. In fact, his nickname was Carluccio delle Madonne or Little Carlo of the Madonnas, as he painted many beautiful depictions, although it is said that the number was not the reason, but his interpretation of the theme. He lived to the ripe old age of 88 and died in Rome on the 15th December 1713, where he is buried in the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli.

On the back of the canvas is a stencil, which reads Copie nach No.436 der Konigl. Gemalde-Galerie zu Dresden 1915. As it is unlikely that a stencil would have been made for just one copy, we decided to do some research and we contacted the Old Master Gallery in Dresden. They have very kindly confirmed that in the 19th and early 20th Century copying the paintings in their gallery was a popular pastime and those copies that were authorised and of very good quality, were stamped with this stencil, giving the year and the catalogue number of the original. Luckily they have the books of requests to copy, (Copistenbuch) for the years 1912-1930 and during 1915, there were 3 requests to copy No. 436. One of these was from a Ms. Marie Stengel, of 21 Zollnerstrasse, Dresden III. On the stretcher of the painting, is written in pencil the No. 436 and the name Frl.Stengel.

It is interesting that in Dresden from 1887-1945, there existed a company founded by an Emil Stengel, who became the world's largest postcard manufacturer, who eventually had offices in Berlin, New York and London. They were most renowned for their series of art postcards, known as the World Art Gallery series, which were beautiful colour postcards of famous paintings throughout the world, (including the Carlo Maratta Holy Night), which are popular with collectors even today and of which a complete catalogue was published in 2016. Emil died in 1906, but we wonder whether Marie Stengel was a relative of his. Our research continues, as we await a reply from Dresden.

The painting has been newly framed in a lovely, ornate, 4 3/8" (11cm) gilt frame as befits such a lovely painting. It will be supplied wired and ready to hang.

Image size: 38 1/4" x 29 3/4" - 97cm x 73cm

Frame size: 47" x 37 5/8" - 119.35cm x 95.55cm

Medium: Oils on canvas

Condition: Very good. The canvas is clean and taut and there are no repairs or stretcher marks. There is a small amount of very fine hairline craquelure mostly in the dark background rather than over the figures. The frame is new.