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Francesco De Mura (1696 - Naples - 1782) Oil on canvas Provenance:
Francesco de Mura’s painting represents the Annunciation, the announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she will bear the son of God. The three essential elements of the event are the angel, the Virgin Mary, and the dove of the Holy Spirit descending towards Mary. De Mura was a student of the famous Neopolitan painter Francesco Solimena, becoming his favorite pupil and later, his collaborator. Towards the beginning of his painting career, De Mura closely followed Solimena’s grand Baroque style, and in fact his earliest works to be mistaken for those of Solimena. In the 1720s, De Mura emerged from Solimena’s studio to begin independently executing major commissions, mostly ecclesiastical, in and around Naples. Among these are five large paintings for the Duomo in Capua, a town outside Naples, of Tobias and the Angel and of four canvases, each representing a single saint. In 1738, De Mura was employed by Carlo di Borbone, king of the Two Sicilies, to execute decorations for the royal palace in Naples. In 1741, de Mura was called to Turin by Charles Emmanuel III of Savoy, the king of Sardinia. During his tenure there, the artist painted six major ceilings in the royal palace, all inspired by classical subjects. After returning to Naples, de Mura received commissions from religious institutions in and around Naples. In the painting, the Virgin Mary has just recognized the presence of the Archangel Gabriel. Mary is kneeling, and somewhat startled, turns around to see Gabriel. She most likely has been either reading or praying. Some objects, such as the lily and the basin, symbolize the Virgin’s purity expressed through the divine birth of Christ. The Holy Spirit, embodied in the form of a white dove, descends towards Mary. Gabriel gestures towards the dove as if to explain to Mary what is going on. The ambiguity of the scene’s setting indicates that it is meant to be understood as a fictive space. The columns are classically inspired, and suggest an exterior. A brilliant red drapery spectacularly flutters out from behind the columns, and helps frame Mary. Gabriel kneels on a cloud, and his billowing drapery suggests that he has just alighted. A soft glowing light falls on the Virgin and suffuses the scene, signaling the sacred nature of the drama. This painting is a bozzetto for a fresco in the Certosa di San Martino in Naples; along with the Annunciation, De Mura painted an Assumption and Visitation, completed in 1757. The three scenes serve as decoration in a chapel dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin. |