The Genoese 1600-1700

This group of works from the ambit of Liguria entered the Gallery following purchases or donations from private Parma collections, as is the case of the Madonna and child by Anton van Dyck, probably painted between 1621 and 1627 during his travels in Italy, which came from the collection of the Parma painter Giuseppe Baldrighi. The subject matter is a recurrent theme in the work of the Flemish artist and here achieves one of its most successful interpretations in the slight torsion of the Madonna, her luminous, serene aspect which harmonises with the delicacy of her pose and the sweetness of the sleeping baby.

The paintings of Giovanni Andrea de Ferrari come from the collection of Count Scutellari who was one of the founders of the Academy of Fine Arts. In these works can be perceived echoes of the painting of van Dyck who had left some of his most significant works in Genoa, particularly in the synthetic, essential composition and the intense effect of backlighting which accentuates the plasticism of the figures.

Closer to the ambit of Lombardy is instead the painting by Luigi Miradori, known as il Genovesino, who, following his beginnings in Liguria, continued his career in Cremona where a number of his works can be found. In this Adoration of the Magi, which could be a smaller version of a large altar piece created for a Church in Cremona, the page boy, baby Jesus and the precious damascus of the clothes worn by the elderly Melchior fully reflect his opulent style, whereas the Magi in the background are probably to be ascribed to his studio.