STUDIO OF GIOVANNI STANCHI (ROME C.1645-1672) AND ROMAN SCHOOL

The portrait at the center of this work takes its inspiration from La Belle Jardinière, a Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist in an idyllic landscape, that was begun by Raphael and completed by Ridolfo Ghirlandaio (Louvre Museum, INV. 602). The painting was taken to France by King Francis I, where it widely admired and copied. The present painting repeats only the bust of the Madonna which is surrounded by a garland of pink roses and other flowers painted in the studio of the Italian still-life painter, Giovanni Stanchi.

We are grateful to Dr. Francesco Petrucci for proposing an attribution for the garland to the studio of Giovanni Stanchi (written communication 12 September 2022).