(Florence 1627–1715)
The Madonna,
oil on canvas, 79 x 63.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private collection, North Germany;
art market;
where acquired by the present owner

We are grateful to Sandro Bellesi for confirming the attribution.

Marinari initially studied under his father Sigismondo di Pietro Marinari, before working in the studio of his cousin Carlo Dolci (1616-1687). Often considered the most accomplished pupil of Dolci, his work, remained greatly influenced by the compositions and style of his master throughout his career.

There are few signed or documented works, however, sources mention him assisting Dolci in the later 1650s. While he remained capable of closely imitating his master’s style, he was later influenced by Pignone and Furini. He executed a number of altarpieces for Florentine churches and his fresco in the Palazzo Capponi, Florence, is dated 1707. In 1674 he published his illustrated Fabbrica ed uso dell’Annulo Astronomico. A self-portrait in the Uffizi shows him aged eighty-two in 1709. He died in Florence on 5 January 1715.

The present painting is clearly influenced by Dolci, but portrays an intense devotion and beauty that mark it as a highly individual work.