The Vision of Saint George before the Virgin and Child, Italian school, late 16th century

Tableau ancien italien maniériste – Vierge à l’Enfant avec saint Georges et saint François d’Assise – huile sur toile 62x50 cm – Le Repaire des Antiquités
The Vision of Saint George before the Virgin and Child, Italian school, late 16th century
The Vision of Saint George before the Virgin and Child, Italian school, late 16th century
The Vision of Saint George before the Virgin and Child, Italian school, late 16th century
The Vision of Saint George before the Virgin and Child, Italian school, late 16th century
The Vision of Saint George before the Virgin and Child, Italian school, late 16th century
The Vision of Saint George before the Virgin and Child, Italian school, late 16th century
The Vision of Saint George before the Virgin and Child, Italian school, late 16th century
The Vision of Saint George before the Virgin and Child, Italian school, late 16th century
The Vision of Saint George before the Virgin and Child, Italian school, late 16th century
The Vision of Saint George before the Virgin and Child, Italian school, late 16th century
Tableau ancien italien maniériste – Vierge à l’Enfant avec saint Georges et saint François d’Assise – huile sur toile 62x50 cm – Le Repaire des Antiquités
The Vision of Saint George before the Virgin and Child, Italian school, late 16th century
The Vision of Saint George before the Virgin and Child, Italian school, late 16th century
The Vision of Saint George before the Virgin and Child, Italian school, late 16th century
The Vision of Saint George before the Virgin and Child, Italian school, late 16th century
The Vision of Saint George before the Virgin and Child, Italian school, late 16th century
The Vision of Saint George before the Virgin and Child, Italian school, late 16th century
The Vision of Saint George before the Virgin and Child, Italian school, late 16th century
The Vision of Saint George before the Virgin and Child, Italian school, late 16th century
The Vision of Saint George before the Virgin and Child, Italian school, late 16th century
The Vision of Saint George before the Virgin and Child, Italian school, late 16th century

The Vision of Saint George before the Virgin and Child, Italian school, late 16th century

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Italian School, late 16th – early 17th century
Oil on canvas – 62 × 50 cm (24.4’’ × 19.6’’)
Provenance: Bonne Fontaine Abbey, Ardennes

Under a golden Italian sky, light opens onto a celestial vision:
the Virgin and Child appear in the clouds, blessing the saints gathered in silent fervor.
In the foreground, Saint George bows in prayer, while Saint Francis of Assisi, bearing the stigmata, contemplates the scene with reverence.
A kneeling prelate and an adoring angel complete this spiritual symphony where every gaze, every gesture, every hand conveys faith.

This painting, from a workshop in northern Italy – probably Lombardy or Emilia-Romagna – is part of the vibrant breath of late Mannerism, between the harmony of the Renaissance and nascent Baroque fervor.

Mannerism: beauty as prayer

Born in the 16th century, Mannerism breaks with classical rigor to seek emotion and distorted grace.
Proportions stretch, hands enlarge, faces lengthen: not to betray nature, but to exalt the spirit.

In this painting, the oversized hands of Saint George become sacred instruments.
They are not just gestures, but mystical language: they receive divine light, they convey fervor.
This is the strength of Italian Mannerism: painting no longer imitates the world, it transcends it.

Iconographic description

  • The Virgin Mary, dressed in celestial blue and incarnate red, enthroned on the clouds in a golden light. Her gentle face embodies compassion and divine peace.

  • The Infant Jesus, nude and radiant, blesses the kneeling figures with a peaceful gesture.

  • Saint George, in gleaming armor, bows with humility. His white banner with a red cross proclaims the victory of faith over evil.

  • Saint Francis of Assisi, recognizable by his stigmata and brown habit, prays in an attitude of profound contemplation.

  • A prelate in a red cassock, perhaps Saint Charles Borromeo, embodies the fervor of the Counter-Reformation.

  • An angel with diaphanous wings kneels in the foreground, eyes raised to the sky, in a gesture of pure adoration.

Technique and style

Oil on lean gesso-primed canvas, using natural pigments:

  • Cinnabar red, madder, ochres, lead white and vine black,
    typical of Italian workshops between 1580 and 1620.

The light, soft and golden, glides over the flesh tones and draperies like a veil of faith.
The old, slightly oxidized varnish gives the surface an amber and vibrant patina, a guarantee of authenticity and nobility.

Provenance

This painting comes from the Abbaye de Bonne Fontaine, in the Ardennes, a former place of prayer and contemplation.
Its iconography, spiritual strength, and vertical composition suggest a devotional function, probably in a chapel or private oratory.

Direct acquisition by Le Repaire des Antiquités.

Condition

Good overall condition for a work of this period.
Fine craquelure and original oxidized varnish, without altering the readability of the image.
Stable canvas, not relined, harmonious and coherent surface.

Dimensions

Height: 62 cm
Width: 50 cm
(24.4’’ × 19.6’’)

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