Artwork
The Naming of the Virgin Mary
The Naming of the Virgin Mary is a chalk drawing by the Baroque artist Marcantonio Franceschini. It dates from 1690 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:By the artist, in the disc held by angels, Maria; by a later hand at lower left in pen and black ink, Marc'Antonio Franceschini. On the mount, in an 18th-century hand, Marc Anthonio Franceschin; and P No. 46; and, He was pupil of a scholar of Carlo Cignani ,/ This drawing much of his manner / a true & compleat Drawing and /..Specimen of the master / a Scholar of Carlo Cignani / a true Drawing of a master / very fine.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1690, this drawing by Marcantonio Franceschini depicts the ceremonial naming of the Virgin Mary. Executed with pen and brown ink, enhanced by a gray wash over a black chalk foundation, the work captures a bustling religious gathering. It resides in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and exemplifies the artist’s late‑Baroque sensibility.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a bearded cleric, likely a bishop, cradling an infant while positioned on a stepped platform. Surrounding figures kneel or stand, some bearing candles or additional children, while celestial angels hover above, holding scrolls and musical instruments. The scene conveys the liturgical solemnity of Mary’s naming within a sacred interior.
Technique & Style
Franceschini employs swift, gestural lines that convey motion, particularly in the angels’ flowing garments and the bishop’s dramatic stance. The brown ink outlines the forms, while a subtle gray wash adds depth and atmospheric shading. The underlying black chalk provides structural guidance, allowing the drawing to retain a lively, sketch‑like quality characteristic of Baroque dynamism.
History & Provenance
Marcantonio Franceschini, a prominent Bolognese painter of the Baroque era, produced this work during his mature period. He also instructed his son Giacomo in the same artistic tradition. The drawing entered the National Gallery of Art’s collection in the United States, where it is displayed as part of the museum’s European drawings holdings.
Artist & collection
Artist
Marcantonio Franceschini (Italian pronunciation:; 1648 – 24 December 1729) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mostly in his native Bologna. He was the father and teacher of Giacomo Franceschini.
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