Bidspirit auction | Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini (1675-1741), 'Penitent

Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini (1675-1741), 'Penitent Mary Magdalene' (after 1737) - Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini (1675-1741), 'Penitent Mary Magdalene' (after 1737) Unsigned. Professor Alessandro Bettagno (1919-2004) attributed this work to Pellegrini in 2000. Pellegrini was one of the most important Venetian painters of the early eighteenth century, renowned for his virtuoso and imaginative historical wall and ceiling decorations. He traveled extensively until four years before his death, accepting commissions throughout Europe, including in England, Germany, and the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, he is known for the fifteen wall and ceiling pieces he painted in 1718 for the Golden Hall, the large reception room on the ground floor of the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague. Pellegrini had previously painted the subject of the penitent Mary Magdalene. In the painting offered here, he depicts her in the intimate setting of a grotto, lost in thought, with her arm resting on a skull and a crucifix in her hand. Her graceful long hair wreathes her bare shoulders. The artist painted her with his signature virtuoso brushstrokes in a subdued color palette, adding to the painting's intimacy and restraint. Professor Alessandro Bettagno (1919-2004) attributed this work to Pellegrini in 2000 and believes it to be an authentic and extremely important work by the artist, painted towards the end of his career, having returned to Italy after his travels through Europe. Professor Bettagno intended to publish this painting in his forthcoming monograph on the artist (see his letter of 4 April 2000, attached as an image to this lot). Oil on canvas, 78.5 x 59.5 cm. With frame 94 x 75 cm.