Two Donors in Adoration before the Madonna and Child, and St. Michael (Primary Title)
Giovanni Battista Moroni, Italian, 1520 - 1578 (Artist)
Giovanni Battista Moroni, born near the town of Bergamo in northern Italy, painted portraits and religious altarpieces. This picture combines elements of both.
The artist renders a devout but unidentified couple in fine detail, placing them before a heavenly vision of the Madonna and Child with St. Michael the Archangel. Moroni uses a realistic style to describe the couple, who probably commissioned the painting. He depicts the holy trio, framed by billowing clouds and cherubim, in a more dynamic and colorful way.
St. Michael, a divine messenger, holds scales to weigh the souls of the dead and to measure out reward or punishment. His presence indicates that one of the purposes of Moroni’s simple image is to inspire piety in the donors and in the viewers of the painting.
Steadfastly opposed to the ornate, elaborate, and self-conscious artfulness practiced by artists in the southern Italian artistic centers of Rome and Florence, Moroni’s realistic style impressed later artists such as Caravaggio and others. In their own unassuming way, modest and devout paintings such as this led to the later revolution of Baroque art.
"The Portraits of Giovanni Battista Moroni", The Frick Collection, New York, NY, February 21 - June 2, 2019
“Hope and Healing: Painting in Italy in a Time of Plague, 1500-1800,” Worcester Art Museum, 2 April- 25 September, 2005
“The Age of Caravaggio,” Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York February 5- April 14, 1985 and The Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte, Naples, May 12- June 30, 1985
“Late Italian Paintings,” Chapter Exhibition, Piedmont Art Association, Mortinsville, VA, 13 April-15 May, 1983 and Roanoke Museum of Fine Arts, Roanoke, VA 18 May- 26 June, 1983
“Giovan Battista Moroni”, Azienda di Turismo, Bergamo, 15 September-15 November, 1979
“Masterpieces of Religious Art,” Wichita Art Museum, 1 December, 1967-30 January, 1968
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