Paolo De Matteis
1662-1728
Virgin and Child Trampling on a Dragon
16 x 10 7/8 inches (407 x 276 mm)
Pen and brown ink and gray wash with red chalk on blue paper.
2009.208
The Joseph F. McCrindle Collection.
Inscriptions/Markings
Inscribed at lower left in pen and brown ink: "Paolo de Matteis".
Summary
This tender depiction of the Virgin and Child stamping on the head of a dragon is typical of De Matteis's soft drawing style. His elegant paintings and drawings transitioned away from the drama of the Baroque, which had dominated southern Italy though the work of Luca Giordano (1634-1705), to a more gentle mode of representation that would be continued by Francesco Solimena (1657-1747). The quatrefoil shape of the compositional frame suggests that this drawing was a preparatory sketch for a ceiling panel, although no painting that follows the drawing's design is known.
Associated names
Sambon, Arthur, b. 1867, former owner.
McCrindle, Joseph F., former owner.
McCrindle, Joseph F., former owner.
Artist
Classification
Century Drawings
School
Catalog link
Department